Reunited: A Street Dog Adopted In Texas, He Was Missing In CT For Days

NEW HAVEN, CT —Jamie and Wyatt Fitzgerald were in an RV, traveling from their home in Van Horn, Texas, just passing through the area en route to Maine when they stopped at the Lowe's store on Foxon Boulevard in New Haven. That's when Randy Van Fitz jumped out of the camper and took off.

That was Friday, June 10 at around 2 in the afternoon.

"We stopped at Lowes, so the dogs could go pee and get some exercise and my husband needed to go to Walmart," Jamie told Patch. "I let them play on the green space next to the lawn and garden center for a while, leashed. When we got back in to the RV, I went to use the restroom. My husband came back to the RV, opened the door, and Randy jumped right out and took off running. He went behind the store where the railroad tracks are, and I lost sight of him. We searched for almost two hours with no sign of him. Sadly, we had to get back on the road to Maine."

Wracked with worry, she began reaching out for help.

"I Facebook-messaged five different animal shelter/rescues in the area. There was only a couple that actually responded. One of them gave me a website for CT Dog Gone Recovery Volunteer Network. I filled it out and immediately got a phone call from a lady named Melanie (Heltke). She got Randy's information, had a flyer put together, and was out looking for him within a few minutes," Jamie said.

There was hope. But still, tremendous worry. Randy wasn't just any dog.

"The worst part for me was that I had only 'officially' become his momma a couple of days prior," she explained. "He was a street dog. He was left behind by another family along with seven other little dogs."

So she took him in.

"I had been loving him for two months before I found out who he actually belonged to," she explained. "They told me I could have him."

So the loss was particularly difficult as Randy had already been on his own and left to his own devices on the street. But in Texas. This was Connecticut. Very unfamiliar territory.

Jamie said that as she was in touch with CT Dog Gone Recovery Volunteer Network, and Melanie in particular, she learned that they'd spent nearly four days of "her constantly setting traps and following leads."

Tuesday morning, when Patch reached out, Jamie shared the news.

"They found him! They were out all night. Finally, they caught him at midnight." She said that Melanie and fellow volunteer Amy "finally sat in the middle of the road at night to get him."

"They are my dog's saviors," she told Patch. "Without them, I don’t think I would have gotten him back. I’m just so happy to have him back."

'Truly an adventure'

Volunteer rescuer Melanie Heltke told Patch the search for Randy was, in a word, an "adventure."

Heltke said that once she learned all she could about Randy from the Fitzgerald's, she went to work.

"There were no sightings in the area where he went missing, and I was nervous about the railroad tracks and the Quinnipiac River," she said.

So she reached out to another volunteer in the area, Amy Bradley, to help search for the dog. He'd been gone all day and overnight when sightings began coming in.

"On Saturday we started getting sightings in East Haven on Laurel Street, Bradley Street, Viking and Nicole Court. He was sticking to the area, which was great," Heltke said Tuesday. By now she was "exhausted."

Monday, Randy was seen three times in the same yard, she said, so it was decided to set a trap. And the bait was, well, a brilliant idea.

"We baited the trap with rotisserie chicken and hot dogs, set up the field cameras, and waited for him to show up," she explained. "After a few hours, he showed at the trap. He circled, but did not go in."

So, the two women, decided to "sit and see if we could lure him with food."

"We saw him in the parking lot of an industrial park off Laurel Street, so Amy got on the ground and softly spoke to him," Heltke explained.

"A few hours later, he started to come closer and closer to Amy as she was able to lure him over with food," Heltke said. "Finally, all the patience Amy had paid off and she was able to grab him."

"That was the biggest relief ever, he was finally safe. He was ready to surrender, but was really not too sure of us. He let out the biggest yelp, but then realized we weren’t going to hurt him, and he was finally safe," Heltke said. "When Amy got him in the truck, he curled up and fell asleep. The East Haven community was awesome in calling in sightings and helping in any way possible."

And on the CT Dog Gone Recovery Volunteer Network Facebook page, there was praise for his rescuers.

"Great job CTDGRV Amy and Melanie!! These dedicated ladies were waiting and watching for Randy Van Fitz and Amy was able to retrieve him with calming signals. So happy you are safe little one!!"