Smelly Socks and Determined Searchers Reunite 93-Year-Old With His Beloved Dog
Norm Feigenbaum returned from grocery shopping a few weeks ago to devastating news. The 93-year-old’s beloved rescue dog, Sunny, had gone missing from his Southern California home. The 7-year-old Labrador had tried to follow him to the grocery store, jumping the walled fence in pursuit, but had gotten lost.
What followed were two anxious weeks of searching and worrying. Norm turned to Dog Days Search & Rescue (DDSAR) for help.
“On 10/4, Sunny scaled a wall in their backyard after Norm left and attempted to follow him. When Norm arrived back home, the house was quiet. His heart sank not knowing where she could have gone and how he was going to find her. His friend Sheryl called us and our DDSAR crew went out to get posters up immediately. Norm also took to the streets and handed out flyers on his scooter,” DDSAR wrote on social media.
But Norm began to lose hope after several days passed with no sightings of Sunny. Then, a week later, there was a breakthrough.
“A week later, Denise, a homeowner near the Chatsworth Reservoir spotted Sunny walking up one of the roads in the preserve,” DDSAR said. “She remembered seeing one of our posters on her street and called us immediately. We went out right away to try and verify the information.”
DDSAR went to the reservoir, which is usually closed with a large chain-link gate because it is private property, but they got lucky when a crew from LAWP was there working. They received permission to search, but with 1,300 acres of open space and limited time, they were unable to find Sunny before they had to leave and the gates were closed.
DDSAR knew they needed to work quickly to locate Sunny, as there are many coyotes in the area and they worried about her safety. They put out trail cameras near the dug holes along the fence line (made by coyotes) and spotted Sunny during the night!
While attempting to get permission to access the reservoir, DDSAR set up traps around the holes in the fence, and volunteers spent day and night nearby to keep coyotes away and protect Sunny if she appeared. But she didn’t. “None of us slept good for a week,” DDSAR wrote. Finally, after several frustrating days of trying to obtain permission, they gained access to the reservoir.
They put out traps with a special tool to help lure Sunny to them—Norm’s smelly socks. And shortly after, Sunny appeared.
“We didn’t have to wait long…As the sun set and the night crept in, Sunny appeared on one of our trap cameras,” DDSAR wrote. “Coyotes howled nearby and our hearts were racing as we all held our breath. Sunny circled the trap, taking in every smell of her owner’s clothes and obviously wanting to get to the food inside that her body so desperately needed. Finally, on Oct 16th, almost thirteen days after she went missing, Sunny walked into our trap and she was safe! We all let out shrieks of delight and sighs of relief.”
Sunny and Norm’s reunion warmed everyone’s hearts.
“Once we got her safely inside, Sunny happily ran out of the trap and right to Norm. Her tail was wagging and she literally had the biggest smile on her face. We don’t think there was a dry eye in the room as Norm lovingly scratched her head. Norm told us that she was family, and just like a daughter to him. The smile on both their faces showed just how much they love each other.”
Sunny was truly grateful to her rescuers, and came up to each of them to ” give a kiss and showing us her appreciation with the best smile ever!”
Norm is also relieved and grateful to have Sunny home and safe. He adopted Sunny after her previous owner died. He said he plans on framing the smelly socks that reunited him with his best friend. “The whole thing is probably due to my smelly socks,” Norm joked.
The wonderful volunteers at DDSAR took Sunny to the vet to get her cuts and scrapes treated and also helped temporarily fix the spot where Sunny jumped the fence (something she had never done in the four years she’s lived there) and plan on fixing it permanently.
The community truly came together to help find and rescue Sunny—something both Norm and Sunny are forever thankful for.