Community Helps Naperville Pup Get Home Safe

NAPERVILLE, IL — A Naperville dog has a second chance at life after he was found safe after sneaking away from home days ago. According to owner Lori McCarthy, they only had Otis, a 2-year-old border collie and Newfoundland mix, for four days when he nudged his way out of a gate on Feb. 19. Otis was found Feb. 28 thanks to an outpouring of love and support from people within the community, his owners said.

The search for Otis was fraught with several close calls because his border collie nature would often make him run if approached. Shortly after he disappeared, Otis was spotted near Jane and Olesen, but was not caught. McCarthy's updates led some people to reach out to McCarthy on social media to help with the search for Otis.

McCarthy said, "People called and texted with sightings, good thoughts and prayers. Hundreds of people reached out to us with messages of hope and love. When we were feeling our lowest, a message would come in and lift our spirits."

On Feb. 28, those searching for Otis faced some challenges because Otis had wandered into Woodridge and was even spotted near I-355. McCarthy said their family feared "the worst." At 1:25 p.m., McCarthy said they got a call from someone who said, "I have your dog; he's in the car."

For the McCarthys, this was great news, but they were still hesitant. Lori told Patch there had previously been at least three fake calls to tell her Otis had been found. Luckily, this one was the real deal.

The woman who rescued Otis told Lori she had not heard of him, but saw a dog run across traffic and ran to his rescue. The woman, a self-professed dog lover, told Lori she followed Otis until she saw him wriggle into a fenced yard and was able to enter the yard, grab his collar and bring him to safety.

Otis has been doing "great" since he got back home. His first night back home was spent "eating and drinking" and getting cleaned of all the burrs he picked up during his travels.

McCarthy told Patch that on Otis's first night back, "He slept all night and in fact hasn’t done much besides sleeping. He goes out, but quite reluctantly, especially last night. Otis is incredibly gentle and loving. We are so happy and grateful to have him back at home."

For McCarthy, the best part of the who ordeal was the outpouring of love and support they got during their search for Otis. She said, "[T]he most overwhelming aspect of this whole misadventure is the extreme kindness of strangers."