Last week was rough to say the least… Otilie ran away while we were hanging out at Zilker Park on Monday evening. Something spooked her and she took off, head down in one direction. I couldn’t keep up and had no clue where she went. We waited for 5 full days with no word. Nothing from the shelters, nothing on Craigslist, no calls from the posters we hung.

Finally on Saturday when we had just about given up hope, I got a call from a random lady who had seen Otilie at her office complex that backs up to the greenbelt. She had found my info on Craigslist and called right away. We rushed out and went on a 4 hour pursuit of Otie and found nothing  but some old paw prints in the dirt. We went home discouraged but decided to try one more thing… Leaving a bunch of Otie’s possessions where she was last seen.

This was the idea of Ben Stelly and had worked for his sister so we gave it a shot without much hope. We left a pair of Alex’s dirtiest boxer briefs, food, water, treats, toys, and her kennel. I drug Alex out of bed at 8am on Sunday and went out to check the loot. Nothing was in the cage… it seemed it had failed. BUT WAIT. Sitting behind a rock only 5 feet from the cage Otilie was lying as still as a baby fawn. I slowly walked over to her and wrapped her up in my arms and loaded her in the car. And that was the Happy Ending which is just the beginning of our little Odom family.

Here’s an email I got from a stranger while looking for the pup:

Hi there,

I hope you don’t mind me e-mailing you, but I just want to tell you that my heart breaks for you guys every time I see your ads for Otilie.  I check craigslist several times a day, as we found a dog that we’re trying to return to his home (well, he found us, but I know he must have a home out there).

Anyway, I’ve been spreading the word about your pup, and I’ve been praying that she gets returned to you quickly.

Please know that there are many people watching out for Otilie.

– Amanda