Lost dog found after long search

Last January Kimberly Johnson picked up her mini-dachshund puppy, Reagan, from a nearby breeder near her home in Virginia. Her mother, Betty, a Black Butte Ranch resident tagged along to meet Reagan and his mother, a long-haired blond mini-dachshund, Jazzy.

Johnson, an FBI agent in Virginia, used to vacation at Black Butte Ranch with her parents when she was young. Johnson grew up in Roseburg. Then more than 20 years ago, her family relocated to Black Butte Ranch (BBR) and Johnson journeyed to the East Coast.

"When my husband and I got to meet the mother of our puppy, I felt an instant bond with her. She was very social and sweet. She reminded me of our dachshund that we recently lost," Johnson said. "I told my mother about Jazzy and what a beautiful dog she was. Mom decided to fly out to Virginia to meet Jazzy when we picked up our puppy.

"We asked the breeder if she was available to adopt since she was retired from the breeding program. The breeder felt comfortable with us as dachshund people and let us adopt Jazzy for mom," she said.

Johnson went to get Jazzy in March after the breeder had her spayed.

"We arrived in Portland on Thursday, March 16. Mom picked us up at the Portland airport and we drove to BBR that evening."

Then on Friday morning around 7 a.m. Jazzy bolted out the door without a leash.

"We think she must have been scared and confused as she was completely out of her element," said Johnson.

Johnson informed the Black Butte Ranch police about the missing dog.

Officer Mike Lane answered the call early Saturday morning.

"It was my first call and my first day on my four-day work-week. I did a lot of driving around into areas where the public couldn't go," Lane said.

Then a resident spotted the dog running past the Glaze Meadow golf shop.

Distraught, Johnson and her mom began going house to house near the area to see if she was on or under anyone's deck. And sure, enough she was.

"Mom spotted her, but Jazzy ran like a scared rabbit," Johnson said. "She seemed extremely frightened and confused."

Many dogs, even dogs that normally are not fearful at home, become terrified when they become lost. While some dogs will ultimately calm down and then approach people, other dogs will continue to run from everyone, including their owners or people they know.

Despite a mobilized community, Jazzy continued to elude all rescue attempts.

"Monday morning rolled around and no Jazzy. We had tried so hard to find her and I was getting ready to fly back to Virginia," Johnson said. "We decided to give our faith a chance and put it into God's hands and let go. Soon after we let go of our worrying, we received a call from officer Lane saying he had her right in front of him, and hoping this will make our day!"

Officer Lane picked up Jazzy after he received a phone call from an employee for Northern Energy Propane.

"The employee had been working on a propane tank and spotted the dog out in the open where he was working," Lane said. "Jazzy was wet and shaking, but she let him pick her up. He put her in his truck in a blanket and I went and got her."

Johnson and her mom drove to the police station to claim her.

"She was just sitting there looking so calm and beautiful," Johnson said.

"Everyone was so nice and helpful," Johnson said. "It was a tough case for me, like trying to find a needle in a haystack. It was a miracle that someone found her who wasn't even part of the search party."