Dog rescued in Camp Sherman finds forever home

Bend resident Cindy Wright went through a major life change five years ago when her sister Lori "Woody" Blaylock was murdered. She was overwhelmed by grief and resigned from her job. Wright had no idea where her life was headed.

"I spent time traveling over the last few years deciding what it is I want to do with my life," she recalled. "Since I've always loved animals and had free time, I thought I could try to find local animals that were missing, a little help for someone who is out making a living and not able to search for their lost pet."

Wright had past experience working with animals. When she was younger she was a certified dog groomer and later in life worked as veterinary technician for a short period of time.

"I started out looking for lost animals by volunteering for High Desert Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation. And then I was scouring the ads for lost animals on the Pets Lost Bend Oregon Facebook site.

"In September a friend of mine in Bend called and asked me if I had seen a notification for a missing Australian shepherd in the Camp Sherman area," Wright said.

Wright's friend Lisa first saw the notification on the Camp Sherman Store Facebook page on September 28. Roger White, Camp Sherman Store owner, had posted that they were on a doggie rescue mission for a mid-sized Australian shepherd that had been hanging around the store for approximately two weeks. He mentioned that the dog was very fast and nobody had been able to catch him/her, and left the contact number for the store. White was very concerned because the temperatures had dropped into the 20s at night.

"Numerous people on the staff had been feeding him, but he was so skittish. That dog had been seen all the way down by the fish hatchery and at the Jack Creek campground," White said. "It's amazing that the dog has survived. This is cougar, bear, coyote and elk territory."

Wright never saw the notice about the missing shepherd, but was interested.

"I called the store and talked to one of the staff and told them I would be there in the morning. I didn't mind going the distance because I enjoy photography and the Metolius River area."

Wright brought all her "training things" that would help with the dog's rescue.

"I brought a dog crate, whistles and toys," she said. "It's easier to catch a dog with another dog, but I couldn't find a friend with a dog that could go. And my two at home are elderly."

In the morning the staff at the Camp Sherman Store told Wright that the lost dog would most likely show up, especially since they had started feeding him the week before. Wright started walking down the trail by the store. Another couple was close behind Wright with their older golden retriever, and Wright informed them about the missing dog.

"I asked the couple to let me know if they spotted the dog, and they went on the trail ahead of me. Then another woman with a border collie came running up the trail saying the Australian shepherd dog was close by," Wright explained.

It became a community effort.

"Sure enough the missing dog was down the trail. The Australian shepherd was near the couple with the golden retriever. He seemed to like their dog, Ruby. We sat there for a while and the lost dog kept coming closer and closer. We tried to put a leash around him, but he'd run off. The couple and their dog finally left and I walked back up to the store and the Australian shepherd followed."

Wright asked if the staff could bring out some food to keep him around. And they did.

"I went back to my vehicle and got my own kibble out and slowly moved around to the front of the store where the dog was. I started throwing out food and after only five minutes he was eating out of my hand," Wright said. "After 15 minutes I could pet him while he was eating out of my hand, but would pull away when he thought I was going to touch him."

Wright was running out of food fast. The dog would high-tail it out of there without a fast plan of action.

"I had to grab him by the nape of the neck, and went around underneath to pet him. He tried to bite me, but didn't draw blood," Wright said. "And as soon as I had a good grip on him I asked a gentleman that had parked next to me if he could help get the leash around him. The gentleman obliged, and I had myself a very scared lost dog. I couldn't have done it without the help of so many people."

Wright took the dog to a veterinarian in Tumalo.

"He had no microchip," she said. "I called all of the shelters in the region, but no one knew anything about him being missing. I also had him neutered."

Wright couldn't help naming the little lost dog.

"I named him Jasper, like the gemstone, since its part of his coloring," she said.

He is a purebred miniature Australian shepherd, and its possible Jasper could have been from a puppy mill.

Wright and her 21-year-old daughter, Miryssa, decided that Jasper has found his forever home as part of their family.

"We are socializing and clicker-training him. We are also crate-training Jasper as he has severe separation anxiety. We are slowly getting him used to things," Wright said.

"We have estimated his age between 3 and 5 years old. But to us, he is 5 years old because that's how long my sister has been gone. He gets along great with my other two dogs and loves Miryssa."