Nothing quite equals the panic and feeling of helplessness that accompanies a missing pet. Those emotions are only worsened when it has no collar or microchip, has escaped into unfamiliar surroundings and is a month away from its first time being shown at the world’s foremost dog competition — Westminster. Thankfully, owner and pet photographer Anne Nichols can breathe a little easier now that her Grand Champion Bernese Mountain Dog was found safe and sound after disappearing for 24 hours.
Delsin qualified for Westminster by winning Best in Show at a competition in Duluth, Wis., in July and came with Nichols from her home in Clear Lake, Wis., to Bloomington, Minn., so she could housesit for her brother. As an AKC champion, Delsin is unneutered and wanted to check out the neighborhood. He escaped from a gate that’d been inadvertently left open and went AWOL for the next 24 hours.
Nichols immediately sent emails, posted fliers, made phone calls and mobilized every resource she could find to help her recover her lost dog. The following day a lady found Delsin about six blocks away wedged between the fences of two yards and unable to free himself. When animal control was notified, it wasn’t long before the prized Bernie was reunited with his owner.
Keep an eye out for Delsin at next month’s Westminster Kennel Club dog show. He was almost a no-show.