Dumped Dog Separated From Puppies For 2 Months Finds Home With Harford Rescuer

HARFORD COUNTY, MD — A skittish abandoned dog separated from her litter who was spied roaming around Rumsey Island in Joppatowne for more than two months in search of her puppies has found peace, and a family.

A handful of dog lovers were able to successfully capture her after tracking her, monitoring her and hoping for the best. Residents posted on local Facebook pages every time they saw the dog eventually named Rumsey, but the elusive canine managed to evade all efforts to snag her. She was frantically searching for a way to get to back to her litter, which volunteer rescuers later learned had been dumped outside a Kohls warehouse along with their mom.

Debbie Amsl Rettberg of Joppatowne told Patch that county animal control set traps for Rumsey, but weren't successful. It would take more than just setting traps to rescue this panicky momma dog.

A resident tipped off Amsl Rettberg and others who were bent on saving Rumsey about the Lost Animal Resource Group spearheaded by Bob Swensen. He agreed to help the group try to capture the brindle-colored dog who'd been wandering for weeks.

"Four of us in the community volunteered to help. Bob told us no one can capture her by running after her because she was in survival mode and would just keep running," Amsl Rettberg said. "He said we need to find a perfect spot for a safe trap, a place that she will go to. We needed to fill it with good food so she would come every day and trust the trap, then we pull the trigger on it."

Swensen said he was more than happy to help the volunteers rescue Rumsey, which included not just Amsl Rettberg but also Terri Ewing, Joyce Griffin La Padula, Heather Joy Miraglia and her daughter Fiona.

"I noticed she'd been out for a while, since people always tag us to help, but she was so skittish and running. People had been chasing her, meaning well, but that's the last thing you should do," Swensen told Patch.

Map courtesy of Debbie Amsl Rettberg

Tracking her movements

The rescuers reached out to the community on social media asking residents to post sightings of the roaming dog.

"We received many sighting posts and some photos, too. From there, I mapped out her route. Thankfully this dog was consistent. She kept roaming from Joppatowne to Edgewood in a fairly consistent manner," Amsl Rettberg told Patch. "I had personally seen the dog five or six times in person and because of that, I saw how scared she was and I had to help her. I told Bob she is always running or trotting quickly."

Swensen contemplated why Rumsey was running, and those involved in the rescue agreed it seemed she was searching for a way back home.

Amsl Rettberg mapped out the places Rumsey had been seen wandering and consulted with Swensen. Eventually, a pattern emerged of the dog's travels, and traps were set.

"We feel like we got a good sense of where she was traveling on a daily basis. We noticed she kept heading over to Kohl's on Trimble Road in Joppa. ... Then I noticed a gal posted that she saw four brindle puppies blocking the entrance to Kohl's one morning ... and they called in some sort of rescue agency and the dogs were taken to the Humane Society and adopted. After seeing that post, we got ahold of this photo from the Humane Society of the dogs. By golly, they looked just like our roaming dog who kept going back to Kohl's," Amsl Rettberg said.

The volunteers realized that Rumsey was the puppies' mothe, who was trying desperately to reunite with her litter.

"We presume she and the dogs were probably dumped there. If you go a little further back the road, there is a quiet parking lot surrounded by woods and quite possibly was dumped there. The brindle dog, not knowing her dogs had been rescued, was searching great lengths to find them," Amsl Rettberg told Patch.

Photo courtesy of Bob Swensen

Setting the trap

After receiving permission from a homeowner who lived along the path Rumsey regularly took, they set an extra-large trap and cameras to monitor any activity. Every day, Amsl Rettberg and three local volunteers set the trap with delicious-smelling food. Within two days, the dog was at the trap and, starving, could be seen devouring the food left for her. After a week of letting Rumsey trust the trap and the area, the volunteers were ready.

Swensen arrived to help set the trap and then, they waited.

"Once the ladies figured out the best place to set the trap on her travel path, it took her a couple of weeks to go all the way into the trap without being scared," Swensen said. "It's always exciting and rewarding when you see the target pet show up at the trap that you've been conditioning them to. The ladies were great at putting food in the trap, crawling all the way to the back of the muddy trap."

Amsl Rettberg told Patch the team had one chance to trap Rumsey, who wouldn't be fooled and return if she escaped the trap.

Swensen sat in a car monitoring the live cameras as they waited for Rumsey to arrive. Finally the group of volunteers heard the words they'd been waiting for: "We got her."

"We all had chills and cried and ran to her side," Amsl Rettberg said. "She was obviously nervous and upset but quite calmer than we anticipated for a dog that has been on the run trying to survive."

Photo courtesy of Bob Swensen

A happy ending

They transported Rumsey in the trap to the Humane Society in Fallston to ensure she wouldn't escape.

"She was so skittish of people, but once she knew she was safe, she just relaxed there. She let us hold her, pet her. It was so nice," Swensen told Patch. "I've trapped more than 1,000 dogs at this point and our group has helped with thousands of rescues. I thought she might be a tougher case but she's done great so far."

The relief the volunteers felt was immense once they knew the momma dog was safe and adjusting well.

"It was a very emotional and happy time for all of us. All of our daily labors in the cold, wet, rain, swampy land and excursions paid off. My husband,Gary, kept saying you need to have patience. You are all doing a great job, he knew we would get her. He was right," Amsl Rettberg said.

While it was hard for the volunteers to relinquish Rumsey to the Humane Society after all the emotions, time and energy they'd invested in her, and the bond they'd created even though they'd barely touched her, they knew she'd be well taken care of there.

"We knew she was in great hands and would be examined and cleaned up and cared for. Bob assured us that they would do the right thing for the dog. He said they take great care of all of the rescues," Amsl Rettberg told Patch.

When they checked in on her, they were told by Humane Society employees that she was doing "remarkably well," eating and adjusting to her new surroundings.

"She was so sweet and loving and calm when we took her out of the cage. I think she knew our scents and that we had all been there to help her over the past few weeks. I think it was her way of saying 'I know who you are' and she thanked us with her affection and calmness," Amsl Rettberg said.

Everyone knew Rumsey would be adopted quickly, considering how wonderful of a dog she was once she knew she was safe at the shelter. What they didn't know was who had been sweetly scheming behind the scenes.

When the volunteers learned that Rumsey had found her forever home, they couldn't wait to find out with whom, but privacy rules at the shelter forbade them from learning that information.

Until Amsl Rettberg announced that it was her very own husband who brought Rumsey home and into their lives forever.

"She's very well behaved and will be spoiled endlessly," Amsl Rettberg told Patch.

Photo courtesy of Bob Swensen