The Search for Reina

Reina was missing for 4 days, after she chased a deer into the woods, but she is safe at home, sleeping on the couch now.  Kelsy started the search for her about 36 hours after she bolted.  I am not sure if Kelsy was on the right track, but I have a couple of reasons to think she was, most of the time.  Reina's owner came with us on the search, and she told us when Kelsy was following a path she and her other dog had walked while looking for Reina, and she told us when Kelsy took a different path. 


Temp: 48F
Feels like: 46F
Light Rain
Humidity: 97%
Wind: SW at 4 mph
Updated: 1/24/11 12:45 PM PST

Name:		Track 029
Date:		Jan 24, 2011 3:10 pm
Map: (valid until Jul 25, 2011)		View on Map
Distance:		3.10 miles
Elapsed Time:		1:53:14
Avg Speed:		1.6 mph
Max Speed:		4.9 mph
Avg Pace:		36' 31" per mile
Min Altitude:		76 ft
Max Altitude:		393 ft
Start Time:		2011-01-24T23:10:26Z
Start Location:
	Latitude:	47.471828º N
	Longitude:	122.182823º W
End Location:
	Latitude:	47.469649º N
	Longitude:	122.182574º W

Kelsy stayed in the groove for large portions of the 3-mile trail.  A few times, she put her nose to the ground and worked busily, tracking some sort of intricate activity.  After these pauses, she went back into the groove and followed the trail.  The scent article we had to work with may have had the scent of the owner and the second dog, and we know the owner and the second dog were in many of the places Kelsy tracked.  However, there were at least three key instances where Kelsy took a branch in the trail that the others did not.  If you look on the map, I think I misinterpreted Kelsy's behavior right near the end of our search.  It was getting dark, and I wanted to try Kelsy at the off-leash park, where a vague tip of a sighting had been reported.  Instead, as it turns out, I should have read Kelsy's behavior as hitting another dead end.  At the bottom of Royal Hills Drive, there is a very steep trail that leads up to Pierce Avenue and continues south toward Fairwood Blvd., where Reina was found.  Kelsy followed that trail down the hill to Royal Hills Drive and a dead end, but for some reason I didn't think to turn around and follow the trail up the hill to Pierce Avenue.  Of course, it's possible that Kelsy was not on the right trail, but I wish I would have paid closer attention to her behavior and thought of that scenario at the time. 

At the bottom of Royal Hills Drive, where Kelsy came to a dead end, she was very interested in the pavement in one location, taking extra time to sniff and analyze.  We know that Reina had many small cuts from blackberries.  I'll bet that Reina left small traces of blood on the pavement when she took a moment to rest on the warm asphalt before heading up the trail to Peirce Avenue.  I wish Reina and Kelsy could talk, so I could know what really happened.  

Kelsy and I are planning to search for Reina in practice on Saturday.