The Rascal Trap By Rene Woodworth

Preface - Losing a rescue Brussels Griffon is our worst nightmare. It has happened to us twice and in both cases the frightened Griffons were caught with the use of humane traps. A lost dog quickly becomes feral and trusts no one. Brussels Griffons thankfully have guardian angles looking out for them and in Rascal s case it was two good Samaritans named Rene and Pat Woodworth and the caring people of Ardmore, OK. It took the help of a city to save Rascal. Marjorie Simon National Brussels Griffon Rescue, Inc National Coordinator The Rascal Trap By Rene Woodworth This is an account of a week in the life of a very brave, intelligent Brussels Griffon named Rascal. Rascal was being driven from his foster home in Kansas, to his forever home in Texas. The person driving Rascal made a mistake while the car was stopped at I-35 Exit 32. She decided Rascal needed a walk and she opened his crate door without having all the car doors closed. Rascal is a shy dog and had only met this person a few hours earlier and when he saw his chance he bolted. As it turned out, he picked the right exit, because this is an exit for Ardmore, Oklahoma, and the people who live in this town are special indeed. His story begins on Thursday, December 28, 2006. 1

Rascal My husband and I and our three rescue Griffons were to leave Minnesota for Texas on Sunday, December 31. I happened to send an email to Margie Simon National Brussels Griffon Rescue Chair - and in her reply, she wrote that Rascal was lost, and that she prayed he would be saved. That email is the beginning of the story of The Rascal Trap. We decided if Rascal had not been recovered by Saturday night, that we would change our plans and go to Ardmore, OK instead of to Texas to help with finding Rascal. On Saturday I spoke to Marci Campbell, who lives in Ardmore. She had responded on Thursday evening, when the local radio station, KKAJ, made 2

an announcement about Rascal s plight and had headed up an effort to recover Rascal but Saturday night came with no success yet. We left Sunday morning and with a bit of special routing for weather drove 950 miles and arrived in Ardmore, Oklahoma, about 5:00 P.M. on Monday. There we met Nancy Moody, who had driven down from Kansas to help in the search, and Marci Campbell. (Nancy and Larry Moody had been Rascal s foster parents for 8 months and we had hoped Rascal would come to Nancy.) Marci Campbell deserves a medal for her efforts to recover Rascal. If it were not for Marci and her husband, Tracy, I believe Rascal would still be lost. She spent her last week of Christmas vacation looking out for Rascal. From Thursday evening through Monday night, Marci and Tracy looked for Rascal, borrowed and purchased live traps, checked the traps day and night (through some bad storms), kept food in the traps, and learned Rascal s habits and routes. These routes were part of Rascal s daily routine, and knowing the routine became critical to catching him. Marci had never heard of a Brussels Griffon until Rascal s plight was announced on the local radio station, KKAJ. Marci went to help, along with many others, and ended being the person responsible for Rascal, until Nancy, Pat, and I arrived. Marci was also our connection to the Ardmore community, and the companies which either actively helped us or allowed us to trespass on their property at all times of the day and night. The wooded area, where Rascal spent much of his time, is the property of the Michelin Tire Company. The guardhouse could see all of our comings and goings. It was comforting to know that they could see us, especially when we needed to leave the car to check traps or search in the woods. The guards would throw food to Rascal, and would call Marci when they saw him. After we arrived in Ardmore, it took us three days to recover Rascal, and we certainly could not have done this without cell phones! On arrival in Ardmore Monday we went to the Love s truckstop. Nancy, Marci, and Tracy were all over at Michelin checking traps and searching the woods. It is dark, and the thorny bushes at Michelin are basically impenetrable. The entire wooded area is thick except for some cedar and grass areas and the fence lines. We went to meet Tracy, and thank him for his help. 3

I saw Marci and Nancy coming from the woods. Toby Tyler one of our rescue griffs - loves Nancy (Nancy was TT s foster Mom), and he was so wiggly when he saw her! Nancy and Marci saw Rascal on their way over here. He was coming from the direction of the interstate. He did turn his head when Nancy called to him, but just barely as he ran across Michelin Road into the woods. He was running scared and feral. There were four live traps in use. Two traps could be seen from the truckstop. One was on Michelin property, and the other was next to Circuit City property, and accessed from that company s parking lot. I explained my idea of constructing a run with chain link panels, and a gate we can slam shut with a rope. Tracy had a run we could use, and we followed him to their house. He also offered a trailer to haul the panels. I think these people are incredible. Nancy met us again at Michelin, and we walked to the traps to check them and replenish food. It was very cold and the ground is rough. No Rascal or anything else in the traps. Nancy left Rascal s blankets from home in the Circuit City trap, and new food. Then back to the motel for a few hours of sleep. Tuesday morning we went out early and there was Rascal walking towards the trap! I spoke softly to him but he was so wary, and quickly left, trotting toward the back fence line of Circuit City. I took our rescue Toby Tyler out and walk toward the trap, in hopes Rascal would see or smell TT, and come to investigate. No success, Rascal seems to have disappeared for now. Then Pat called to say he was now following Rascal along the grass between Circuit City and the truckstop. We called Nancy, and we all met at the Circuit City main gate area. 4

The view facing east from the Circuit City parking area, Circuit City area on the left, and Love s Truckstop on the right Rascal ran back to the Circuit City trap area and across the field with Nancy and a Circuit City employee following. We watched him hide in the bushes along the road, wait until the cars passed, and then cross the road into the woods. Rascal is a very intelligent dog. He appeared to recognize our car as the one which had been chasing him. Hopefully, he won t recognize it later in the midst of all the semis. It was time to regroup our forces. Tuesday morning 7:30 A.M. We were in the Circuit City parking lot. It was now quite obvious how frightened and almost wild Rascal had become. He no longer recognized Nancy, and in his mind humans were predators. Since Thursday last, Rascal had been chased by many people. He had become incredibly wary and 5

restless, constantly looking about, and looking very worried. I think the wooded area across 12th Street was the only place where he could rest. This was where he spent his days, coming out only at dusk to forage for food, and then returning to the woods about 7:00 A.M. He used the same fence line, and crossed 12th Street in the same area. This is the view facing south from the trap. Rascal would travel this fence line, and cross 12th Street to the woods beyond the white Pickup truck Rascal is a very intelligent, resourceful pup. It was amazing the way he wove his way amongst the semis and heavy traffic coming off the Interstate. The food smells also helped keep him in this area of about one mile square. One positive note is that Nancy discovered that he had pulled his blankets from home out of the trap. So, I think he did long for home and humans, but he was too frightened to trust anyone anymore. Bringing the home blankets was an excellent idea! 6

We felt Rascal was even further from being recovered, and Nancy s flu was worse. I decided the only way we would catch Rascal was with a different sort of trap. The live traps which were currently in the woods and fields, although the largest available in Ardmore, were too small. I started looking for equipment at Lowe s. They had chain link panels, but no gates which would lock when pulled shut. Nancy has met us at Tractor Supply. There was the same problem with the gate. We were now at Orsheln s (a local farm supply store). They had the same panels, but I now saw a group of panels with a different gate! This was the answer! This was just what I have been looking for, a sliding gate. This contraption was called a Goat Tote. It was a cube with sides of 4 feet, and included a top. Best of all, the gate locked automatically when it was shut, and it slid instead of swinging. I felt this was the answer. Although the openings in the panels were about 4 inches wide, I had decided to cover the sides and top with chicken wire. We were loading the panels into Nancy s van, and had also bought wire snips, pliers, chicken wire, and cable ties. Rascal s picture was on the Orsheln s cash register when we checked out. We had a nice conversation with the people there. Everyone knew about Rascal! Thank you KKAJ and Marci! Nancy was really very ill, and decided she should return home. I worried that she was too sick to drive. Nancy had left. Pat and I were assembling the Goat Tote, henceforth known as the Rascal Trap. I was concerned that the sliding gate would stick when pulled hard from a distance. We thought we needed to be 100-200 feet away, attached to the gate by a rope. Pat had the brilliant idea of turning the gate sideways, so the gate, which was quite heavy, would fall easily when the rope was released. We were reassembling the Rascal Trap, and were moving it about twenty feet to an area with fewer weeds. Then we tied chicken wire to the sides and top and put Rascal s blankets and food and water inside. Pat went back to Orsheln s for rope and some hardware cloth for the space left open when the gate panel was turned. Then we decided where to position the car, tied the rope to the top of the gate, and tested the system. Everything was ready, and it worked! The trick was to make sure Rascal was in the trap before I released the rope. Although this area was somewhat lit at night, I thought it would be difficult to see Rascal, and whether he was actually in the trap. Now, the sun was beginning to set, and I was worried that Rascal would see us. It was hard to 7

hold the rope with the weight of the gate. We were 120 feet away. We looped the rope through two of the door handles and this worked much better. We had heard that the radio station had asked people to quit trying to feed and/or catch Rascal. So, it was mercifully very quiet and calm where we were. It was 7:00 P.M., and we were leaving to return to the motel, after having all our dogs pee in the trap area one more time. We had wired the gate in the up position, so Rascal could go in, and become comfortable in the trap. I had also put some fresh food down. We needed to be at the trap area earlier the next day, so were planning on 6:00 A.M. Wednesday notes: I was astonished and overjoyed to see Rascal in the trap as we drove up at 6:00 A.M... He was looking at us, but we must just be another semi arriving at the truckstop. Was he actually in the trap? Yes, he was lying on his blankets! Hooray! As the gate was still wired open with cable ties, we waited for him to leave. He was very restless, and I believe, very cold. He keeps changing positions. There are so many semis running that one more car doesn t seem to bother him at all. As dawn approached, he got up more frequently, and looked around constantly. We kept our heads down and tried not to make silhouettes against the truckstop lights. Finally, Rascal got up, trotted right past the car, checked some trash cans at the truckstop, went down the fence line, crossed 12th Street, and disappeared into the woods. I think he had a slight limp, and looked quite bedraggled. We were elated that he had been in the trap, and called Margie and Larry and Nancy. I had hope again now, but was worried that someone would scare him or move the trap. Also, the weather forecast was calling for rain and colder temps. I had decided the trap needed a Plexiglas top and sides, so we were going back to Lowe s. Lowe s had cut the Plexiglas, but would not drill the holes for the cable ties, so Pat had bought a drill which needs charging. We must have everything ready by 3:00 P.M. I didn t feel there was enough time for battery charging, so we were going to ask the very nice people at our motel if we could borrow a drill. Sure enough, the La Quinta Inn lets us use their drill, and we were rushing back to install the panels. I had also purchased two bowls for food and water which I would leave in the trap. 8

View from the car. The Rascal Trap with Plexiglas panels installed is 120 feet away. 9

3:00 P.M. All was ready. It was starting to mist, and was very foggy. The rope was tight, the gate was up. We would stay there until he came, no matter when that was. It was cold, but not as bad as yesterday. How long can a car idle with the heaters going? As it got dark, the lights from the truckstop reflected off one of the side panels. Not Good. I thought Rascal would think that looked scary. Pat was running to remove that panel. Hurry, Rascal could appear any minute. I had been staring at the trap now for about five hours, and it was starting to levitate from the end of the rope. Pat said, Don t stare at it. 8:08 P.M. Suddenly, Pat exclaimed, There he is! He is in the trap! Let go of the rope! For a second, the rope stuck on the door. I let go of the rope. The gate fell. Pat and I tore out of the car, worried that Rascal would escape, but he was just sitting there. He seemed to have collapsed emotionally. For a second, I felt guilty that I had caught him. He didn t seem afraid, just so surprised and so tired. I called Margie and Larry and Nancy. Such a relief and worry lifted. It was wonderful. Rascal had been recovered sort of, now we had to get him into a crate, and carry him to the car. I reached down and put two leashes noose like around his neck, and clipped one leash on his collar. Then we positioned a crate with a side opening next to the dropped gate. I worked the leashes through the wire of the trap, and out the other side of the crate. Rascal didn t want to go in the crate. I pulled, and Pat reached down and pushed and lifted. Rascal was in the wire crate. We cable tied the doors of the crate and carried it to the car. Our car was so full at this point, that Toby Tyler was riding in my lap, Kip was in TT s crate, and Frank s crate was sitting lopsided in the back. 10

Marci had told me that she wanted to see Rascal before we left. We met Tracy and Marci at the Love s truckstop where the story started one week before. They were so happy to finally see Rascal up close, and asked many questions about Griffons. We are forever thankful for people like them. Tracy and Marci Campbell We met Larry Moody three hours later in Oklahoma City, and by 4:00 A.M., Rascal was asleep (between Larry and Nancy) back at his foster home in Kansas. I think we were back in Ardmore by 3:00 A.M. We were very tired. Pat was up by 6:00 A.M., to begin cleaning up the Circuit City trap area. One of the nice people at the La Quinta Inn drove her pickup, and transported the Rascal Trap back to Orsheln s. Pat cleaned all the mud and dirt off of it, and Orsheln s let us return the panels, which were now back to being a Goat Tote. We did make it to Houston in time for Kip s first agility class at Flashpaws. 11