Dog Found Safe After 32 Days On The Run From Somerset County Facility

BERNARDSVILLE, NJ — A dog that escaped from a boarding and training facility in Bernardsville was found safe in Piscataway after 32 days on the run, said Buddha Dog Rescue & Recovery, search team that tracked him.

The dog, Hardy, slipped out of a newly placed collar while staying at the facility and ran off, beginning a search that stretched across multiple communities.

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According to Buddha Dog, Hardy stayed within about a two-mile radius of the escape location for roughly the first 11 days.

Searchers said they got him on camera at a feeding station within two days of joining the effort and quickly moved to place a trap.

A thunderstorm with heavy rain followed, and Hardy did not return to that station.

After that, sightings came from a wider area, including Bernardsville, Millington, Dunellen and Piscataway.

Buddha Dog said Hardy appeared to move along roadways, railroad tracks, power lines, wooded areas, neighborhoods and connecting greenways.

Searchers also said he appeared to find food at feral cat feeding stations, wildlife feeding areas and other sources, making it difficult to keep up as they moved cameras and feeding stations from town to town.

Several nights before Hardy was captured, he was seen in the Dunellen and Piscataway area.

The search team said mapping pointed to a corridor running between homes in one neighborhood, and a later sighting came in near the same spot.

Another two sightings were later reported, and a feeding station was set up there.

Then at around 11 p.m., Hardy appeared on camera.

The searcher wrote that Hardy's parents, Spencer and Emily, were told to drive to Blairstown to pick up a trap and return it to Piscataway.

Spencer got the trap, returned to Piscataway and had it set by about 2:30 a.m., said Buddha Dog.

On Sunday at about 3:20 a.m., Hardy entered the trap and was secured.

"HE WAS SAFE," Buddha Dog said.

Buddha Dog described the recovery as a team effort involving Hardy's parents, relatives and people in the communities where sightings were reported.

The straight-line distance from Bernardsville to Piscataway was about 15 miles, but Hardy's route covered more ground as he doubled back and changed direction over 32 days, according to Buddha Dog.

Buddha Dog Rescue and Recovery is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit animal rescue organization based in Blairstown. They specialize in the capture of trap-savvy dogs who will not enter traditional traps.

For more information, visit buddhadogrescueandrecovery.com.

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