Henry, a 10-year-old male whippet, was found at Tarrawarra Railway after going missing for two weeks.
The situation was even worse as the owners, Kylie and Sam, had to go overseas for the previously scheduled appointments.
The owners asked Milly’s Search, Trap and Reunite Melbourne Branch to find their dog on their behalf while they’re in England.
Milly’s Search, Trap and Reunite Melbourne Branch team leader Sherri said Henry ran off from home due to storms on 4 September.
“He can be quite anxious with storms,” she said.
“Usually, when there is a storm, he is put inside. But unfortunately, it was a bit unexpected, so he bolted.”
Henry was seen multiple times at different locations.
“A local saw him (at the corner of Long Gully Road and Old Healesville Road on 7 September) and tried to catch him, but unfortunately, Henry was too scared. He was a little bit anxious about strangers, not knowing where he was, although he was not far from home,” Sherri said.
“He was seen again on the eighth at another property, but he ran again, and then he was seen on the following morning, on the ninth at around 2am.
“The property owner Tom’s dog woke him up at 2 o’clock in the morning, and then he went out to see what it was that his dog was barking at and saw Henry run off.”
Dogs, when they are lost, scared and disorientated, can go into survival mode where they go back to their primal instincts.
In survival mode, their focus shifts from their familiar life to basic needs like safety, food, water, and shelter, and they think everyone and everything around them is an enemy.
Henry kept moving from one place to another to fulfil basic needs, which made it a lot harder to capture him.
The 10-year-old whippet was finally found at Tarrawarra Railway, only about 3km away from his home, on Sunday 21 September.
Sherri said when he was found, he seemed like he hadn’t fended for himself food-wise.
“When he was found, the worker at Tarrawarra Railway Station saw him dragging himself, walking really slowly, and he collapsed,” she said.
“It’s very lucky that someone saw him and rescued him.”
Henry spent a night in emergency, getting rehydrated.
Henry’s now on a refeeding plan, having small meals until he’s able to eat normally.
He is staying at the owners’ vet nurse friend’s home, and will reunite with his owners when they get back home after finishing all their scheduled plans in England.
“They had to go overseas because of the lectures and so forth that they were appointed to as vet neurologists,” Sherri said.
“They were extremely worried, and we were in contact with them every day.”
Sherri and her friend Tracey have been volunteering to help owners of missing dogs reunite with their four-legged friends.
They also helped find Bruno, a dachshund, who was found in May 2024.
Bruno went missing for 10 weeks after escaping from a pet sitter in Launching Place in February.
Last November, Sherri and Tracey joined Milly’s Search, Trap and Reunite, a not-for-profit charity based in New South Wales, and opened the Melbourne branch, continuing their volunteer work to help bring lost dogs home.
Sherri shared some tips on what to do when dogs go missing.
“We do often say, put out scent items, so scent items are unwashed clothing or unwashed towels of yours. We suggest you hang that up at the front of your home so that the wind blows the scent, and then the dog will pick up that scent and follow that home,” she said.
“We also say to check out any places that you regularly visit, like any parks or reserves.
“And walk on purpose, so walk in one direction and come back, then walk in another direction and come back, because if you keep walking around and around in circles, your dog’s going to follow that scent and walk around and around in circles and get disorientated.”
Sherri also suggested putting out posts on Facebook instantly and also speaking to people in person, given that not everyone in the community is on Facebook.
“We also suggest asking people not to chase a dog,” she said.
“If they do see the dog, just sit quietly and call for it, but if it does walk off, don’t chase the dog or try and attempt to catch it unless it’s in immediate danger on a road.
“Just follow the dog at a distance.”
The chaotic two-week search united the Yarra Valley community and saw its spirit bloom as people got together, encouraged by empathy and a common love for one’s neighbour.
Sherri would like to say thank you to the local community on behalf of the owners.
“If it wasn’t the community helping search for Henry, putting out flyers, letterbox drops and keeping an eye out for Henry, he may not have been found,” she said.
“So we would like to thank the community, and a special mention to Tom, Sam, Kate, Casey, Lynda, Darren, Fiona and Heather who did a lot of searching and letter box drops.”
Find out more about Milly’s Search, Trap and Reunite Melbourne Branch on its Facebook page at facebook.com/melbournemillys
