An Australian Shepherd has spent the past four years without a home or a warm bed. The dog was like a ghost to residents in Clarksville, Tennessee. He would show up in people’s backyards and then disappear. One resident nicknamed him “Patches” and left food out for him for 17 months but could never get close enough to the dog to catch him.

Animal control put many resources on the case when a new director came onboard. But over the course of several months, Patches would always avoid the traps left out for him. But when the Good Samaritan recently noticed he had his front leg caught in his collar, they stepped up efforts to catch him.

Hunting cameras and other devices were used to track his movements around the town. And with the help of a resident, they set up a trap using a kennel attached to a 500 foot parachute cord. Eventually, after a 4-day stakeout, Patches was rescued!

“I was shocked that he just let us walk right up to him and pet him,” Jeanette Ferrell, director of animal control in Montgomery County, said of Patches. She said his personality is great but were shocked to learn he had been fending for himself, not for 17 months like they thought, but for four years! “He’s a survivor,” said Ferrell.

They knew Patches was on the streets for four years because of his microchip. However, after looking into the situation, Patches won’t be going back due to domestic violence issues in that home. Instead, Patches will go into foster care for rehabilitation, before he is put up for adoption.

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Source: The Wall Street Journal