Bonnie Dunlop hasn't slept well since her dog Gus went missing in the 70,000-acre Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.
Dunlop is stationed in the Army in Georgia and was driving to Plattsburgh, N.Y., for her first Christmas home in three years. She stopped at the Toms Creek picnic area in Bushkill Dec. 23, to give her four rescue dogs time to stretch their legs.
Smallest among them was Gus, a 14-year-old white Shih Tzu adopted after police removed him from an abusive home.
Dunlop made up for Gus' painful past with lots of attention. He was fed only home-cooked meals suitable for older teeth, walked daily and slept in Dunlop's bed. He rode from Georgia on her lap.
"He was my little love match. He's my whole world," she said.
At Toms Creek, Dunlop walked down the trail a bit and when she turned around, Gus, who had been off his leash, was gone.
She searched until dark, got some flashlights, and continued looking until 11 p.m. — six hours total. Gus has low vision and is nearly deaf. She figured he could have been hiding behind a log and not hear her calling.
Dunlop found a hotel, posted information about Gus on Craigslist and prayed he would make it through the cold night. The search resumed in the morning now with more helpers.
National Park Service rangers and people who saw the Craigslist post got involved. Connecting through cell phones and email, they talked about what ground has been covered and what clues they have seen.
Turns out there is a loosely organized group of people who respond when a pet is lost. It started two years ago when a dog being transported from the South got lost in the Poconos. He had two leashes dragging behind him, leaving a distinct track in the snow for days.
The search was called off when he was found dead on the side of Route 33, but the people who connected through that experience continued to search for lost pets.
"A lot of people visit the area and their pet gets lost. The pets wander around because they don't know where they are or where to go," animal finder Donna Foulk of Jackson Township said.
Dunlop continues searching for Gus.
Thursday, Xenia Harley of Chestnuthill and others joined her in the search. Letting visitors know a local person will continue searching helps ease the pain. But for Dunlop, hope may be fading.
"I feel like I killed my baby," she said. "I'll never forgive myself."
In coming weeks, the network of animal searchers will launch a website where people who have lost, found or sighted pet in the Poconos can post up-to-the-minute information and download posters to aid in their search.
If you have seen Gus, call Dunlop at 703-489-2653.
