Lost dog group rescues senior dog in rural town, discovers she went missing 7 years ago

A rescue organization in the United Kingdom got a huge surprise when they were called to help a senior stray dog that was found roaming around an English village: They discovered the pup had been missing from its owners for nearly seven years.

In a Dec. 11 post on their Facebook page, volunteer non-profit Lost Dog Recovery UK South said they received a message about a little black dog that was running in a road near Crawley Down, a village in West Sussex.

The caller "stopped the traffic, let the dog disappear into the woodland and knew not to follow, and just returned ASAP to leave food," the post read.

They then asked people in the nearby rural area about the dog and learned that the dog had been spotted in the area and the locals would feed her. They were still concerned, so they called for help.

The recovery group then set up a camera and left food food out so they could watch and gather more information about the dog. By the third night, the little dog was caught “waiting” for dinnertime and watching volunteers walk up to where the camera was placed.

Volunteers lure dog with warn roast chicken feast

Volunteers began to ask around and learned from some residents that the dog might be a stray that had been wondering the area for over a decade and was not in need of any care. Others told them that the stray could be in need of care.

The rescue group then spent a week establishing a routine feeding schedule and close-ups of the dogs confirmed that she was in fact a senior.

Finally, they set up a trap.

"We knew our little stray was picky and we had worked out what she liked, so a huge warm roast chicken feast with a JR Pate topper was laid out, and the waiting began," the post read.

After a few visits, she finally stepped into the trap and triggered the door to close.

"Understandably she was shocked and scared but very gentle, and was taken immediately to the warmth and safety of kennels," the post said.

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A microchip reveals huge surprise

But volunteers were in for a shock. Based on what neighbors have said, they did not expect to find a microchip on the dog, but they did.

The group learned that the Patterdale Terrier, now 12 years old, was named Rose and had gone missing just 6 miles away from Ashurst Wood within 24 hours of being adopted back in March of 2017, the post said.

While it would have been a wonderful holiday reunion, a lot had changed for Rose's previous owners. In the past seven years, they've moved and are not in a position to take her in now.

"They are thrilled she is safe and unhurt and, of course, sad they aren’t able to take her back. She will be going to a rescue who can give her what she needs and care for her in her old age," the group wrote.

Rescue seeks forever home for Rose

Rose is now being taken care of by Last Chance Animal Rescue, Edenbridge and will hopefully be finding a forever home soon.

In a Dec. 18 update, the group said it had been inundated with enquiries about the dog and they were working through requests to find her a "safe, warm and loving home."

"If you aren’t successful in your application for Rose PLEASE do consider fostering for your local rescue," the post added.