January 29. One of those beautiful winter days in North Central Texas. Sunny, with the temperature in the 60s. Anita and I had tickets for a performance of “Camelot” at Bass Hall that evening at 8:00. I had taken my good clothes to work with me, planning to go right to Anita’s after work and get ready there. I left the office at 4:15 and headed for Hurst, spirits high in anticipation of the evening ahead.

I had just turned onto 157 North to go to Hurst when my cell phone rang. I figured it was Anita wanting an idea of what time I would be there, but when I answered, it was my husband telling me to call Anita right away. Something was terribly wrong. I could hear it in his voice. I found a place to pull off the road so that I could safely make a call and as soon as Anita answered the phone, my worst fears were realized. Her first words when she heard my voice struck icy fear into my heart. “Blazer is gone”. For those of you that do not know Blazer, he is a beautiful black and white Basenji boy with the most wonderful disposition in the world. Just over 3 years old, a confirmation Champion at 8 months of age, this boy is SPECIAL to all who know him. I had a hard time understanding how this could have happened, but knew that the most important thing was to get to where he had been seen last and find him.

Getting back on the road I fear I broke more than a few traffic laws that afternoon. As it was it took me way too long to get to Hurst. Traffic was fierce at that time of day and the longer it took, the more afraid I was. If you know Basenjis, you know that they do not recognize the superiority of the automobile and all too many of our dogs that get out of yards and houses, we lose to car accidents. This was my greatest fear. 

When I found Anita, she was working with the Hurst Police Department and Animal Control. They had spotted Blazer and unfortunately had chased him, scaring him badly. They were, however, keeping in constant touch with Anita, reporting sightings but every time we got to the last reported sighting, we were too late. 

We drove, walked and searched until midnight to no avail. Finally, sick at heart, we gave up for the night. The last sighting we had been appraised of was at a McDonalds on Grapevine Highway, which was extremely unnerving as that is a very busy thoroughfare.

The next morning at first light we were out again, aided by Anita’s daughter and also by members of the Dallas-Ft. Worth Basenji Club that had seen the notice of Blazer’s disappearance that was posted on the Basenji List by Linda Stilwell, our good friend and fellow member of the Indian Nations Basenji Club. All throughout the day we drove and looked but there was not a sign of that black dog. We didn’t even hear of a sighting after Thursday night. When night fell on Friday, we concentrated on making up fliers with Blazer’s picture on them and making as many copies as we could so that we could blanket the area with them come morning.

Friday night brought a change in the weather. It turned off cold and rainy. Needless to say, this was an added worry. That, added to the fact that we had no word of any sightings all day Friday made the general mood one of quiet desperation.

Saturday dawned overcast and chilly. We started out early putting out fliers and talking to as many people as we could but there was no word about where Blazer might be. By mid-morning we were joined by Richard and Linda Stilwell, who had come to help search. Members of the Dallas-Ft. Worth Club and other friends that wanted to help also showed up at Anita’s to do whatever they could to help. Anita had made copies of an area map and laid out all the places Blazer had been spotted and teams were dispatched to put out more fliers and contact as many people as possible in hopes that someone, somewhere had seen our little black dog. Sadly, Saturday passed much like Friday had and hopes dimmed a little more. 

At one point Saturday, Anita and I had gone back to the house to check the answering machine, hoping against hope for a message that someone had seen Blazer, but it sat there mute. We had run out of fliers so Anita went out to make more and I stayed at the house to monitor the phone. At some point, as I sat racking my brain for anything else we could do, it came to me that we might be able to use a tracking dog to help find Blazer. A phone call to Marge Cook, a local Basset Hound breeder and tracking enthusiast, let the air out of that idea. She told me that tracking dogs just don’t track other dogs well. My next idea was a Search and Rescue dog but a phone call to a local Search and Rescue person shot that one down too. Seems they do not permit S&R dogs to look for anything but humans.

As I sat there in front of the computer grasping at straws, it occurred to me to try a Bloodhound person. A quick visit to the Bloodhound Club of America website produced the name and phone number of Walter Partin, a person in Decatur, Texas, who had a tracking dog. I called him and he turned out to be one of the nicest people I have ever had occasion to speak to.  He was most sympathetic and said that he would indeed be happy to help. He is also a rescue contact for the Bloodhound Club and had people coming to his house that day to pick up a rescue dog but said he would come as soon as he could.

It was about 8 PM when Walter got to Anita’s with his lovely bitch, Opal.  He wasted no time getting her on the trail and she was terrific. She followed the path he had taken, hit every spot that we had reported sightings and was going strong, showing a great deal of interest in a particular house when two Siberian Huskies came out of nowhere and jumped on her. Needless to say, that was the end of the search that night.

Sunday was a day of utter despair. There was still not one word from anyone about seeing Blazer. We just had no place else to go. We had completely blanketed Hurst, Euless, Bedford and Colleyville with fliers and had contacted every Veterinary office, boarding kennel and grooming shop in all of the above areas. So, once again, we waited.

Monday morning the weather cleared and once again we were hopeful but as the day wore on with no word, our hopes dimmed again. I was scheduled to work that afternoon from 3 to 6. I had just gotten into my scrubs and was getting ready to leave when Anita called. I knew the instant I heard her voice that there was hope, he was still alive and had been seen. She told me she had received a phone call from a lady that had seen one of the fliers and had seen Blazer and had one of her employees out following him, just trying to keep him in sight. Thank God for cell phones! She was in touch with her employee and Anita, trying to guide her to him. A quick phone call to my office let them know I was going to be a no show that afternoon and they were so excited that we had some positive word about our boy, they said “GO”. Once again, the speed laws took a beating all the way from Arlington to Colleyville. I don’t think I have ever prayed so hard in my life. All the way up there I kept repeating the same words…”please God, lead me to him”.

When I reached the area where Blazer had been seen, as I turned off the main road coming into a residential neighborhood, I met Anita driving toward me. She said she had seen him about a block from where we were.  She had Rosie, her bitch and Blazer’s running mate, with her. She reported that she had gotten out of the car with Rosie, thinking that perhaps Blazer would come to them, but when she saw him, he was utterly wild eyed and looked panic stricken. He paused for a moment and then bolted across the street, into some bushes and disappeared. Thinking that he had gone through yards and onto the next street, she was going over to the next block to look there. Anita’s son-in-law and another friend were also looking in the same area.

We parted and as I drove down the street I had a really strong feeling that he was close. I came to a street that turned off to the right and again, the feeling. Something told me to turn right. As I drove very slowly down the street, scanning both sides as I went I felt an anticipation that I could not ignore. The street dead-ended into a lot where there was a new home under construction. Just before that, on the right was an empty lot, pretty well overgrown and brushy. I turned around in the driveway of the new house and as I started back the way I had come, again something told me to stop. I did. I stepped out of the car and stood there motionless and just listened. After only a minute or so, I heard a rustling noise toward the back of the lot.

I was nearly afraid to breathe. Very quietly and with a calm that I cannot account for, I called one time. “Blazer?” I could not believe my eyes. He popped right out from behind a tangle of bushes about 50 feet from me and looked right at me. That’s when I really got scared. “What if he runs again?” I truly did not think I could stand it if I got this close and lost him again. After what seemed like an eternity, I could hear, in the back of my mind, my obedience instructor, Martha Lee, telling me to “Get down low and call softly.”

Since Blazer was a very young puppy, he has had the nickname “Batman” and I am one of very few people to ever call him that. I thought of that and the fact that he loves to go to dog shows. I sank very slowly to my knees and patted my hands together and said “Batman! Lets go dog show.” I think he was in motion before I got the words out of my mouth. He trotted straight to me and into my arms. Suddenly, all was right with the world again. Of course then I fell apart.  I hugged that little black dog to me and sobbed like a baby. Some kind lady came driving down the street and thought something was amiss and stopped her car, came around the back of my car and asked “Are you alright?” My answer? “Ma'am, I have never been so alright in my life.” 

When I finally got myself under control, I got up and got in the car and started out to find Anita. She was not answering her cell phone so I started driving around the neighborhood looking for her. After covering several blocks and finding nothing, I went back to where I had first met her and she was there. She had been out of her car, walking and calling Blazer. By this time, he had gotten in the back of my car and curled up and gone to sleep. When I was still about half a block away, I started laying on the horn and waving out the window. When I got close enough I yelled “I’ve got him. I’ve got him.”

I don’t think I will ever forget the look on her face as she walked up to my car window. She spoke to him and when he first woke up, he was very wild eyed but quickly recognized her and came to the window. She wanted to know all the details and after a quick summary I suggested that we get Blazer home and safe. I was afraid to open the car door and transfer him so he rode home, sound asleep, in the back of my car.

When we got back to Anita’s house, we were two exhausted but elated people. The first thing we did was to go over Blazer with a fine-toothed comb, looking for any injuries, and amazingly he had not one scratch on him. Other than being dirty and very thin and having abraded pads, he was in excellent condition. Anita gave him some food and he had a long drink of water and calmly strolled into the bedroom, made a nest in the pillows on her bed and was asleep again. Throughout the evening, both Anita and I made many trips to the bedroom door just to gaze at him and marvel at the fact that he was really there.

As Blazer slept, Anita and I began the long task of calling friends and everyone that had been so kind to help us look for him to let them know that he was safely at home and relatively unscathed. We each got on our cell phones and relayed the good news and believe me when I say, there was a lot of crying and laughing. Some of our friends wanted to come right over and see him for themselves and it turned into a celebration. Anita and I ate, I think for the first time in four days. What a perfect end to an absolutely horrible ordeal.

At this writing, Blazer is returned to his glowing condition, and is as sweet, silly, funny and loving as ever. We were not sure whether or not he might have any insecurities or fears from his magnificent adventure but thankfully, he is as ready to go to dogs shows as ever. I don’t want anyone to ever tell me that God does not answer prayers or that miracles don’t happen. He does and they do!