Dog Lost In Woods For 2 Weeks Reunited With Bridgewater Family

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — With the help of the entire community and a little harmonica, Bear was reunited with his Bridgewater family after being lost in the woods for two weeks.

Bear was being walked by a dog sitter in the Martinsville area near the Bernards Township border when he went missing on Aug. 15. He had seen a fox and bolted into the densely wooded area, said his owner Lisa Folkerts.

Folkerts, with the help of the community, searched day in and day out for the beloved family pet. It wasn't until this past Saturday night when Folkerts was getting ready to go home when she heard a very loud, consistent, frantic, steady, barking.

Bear never barked much but Folkerts knew that when her kids would play their little harmonica he would sing along.

Armed with that harmonica, Folkerts ran out behind a house where she heard the barking.

"It was just getting dark, but knew this was my last chance to find him. I sprinted into the woods, briar patches ripping up my skin, (I'm still picking thorns out of my head), and very quietly blew the harmonica. From time to time, he would give me a small bark which I could follow, until I pulled the last Briarpatch away and saw him tangled up in an absolute mess of briars. He was scared but so happy to see me, and the feeling of seeing his handsome face again, I can never put into words," said Folkerts.

Bear was found a quarter to a half-mile away from where he initially took off. Despite being trapped in the woods for two weeks, Bear was healthy.

"He lost around 10 to 15 pounds but overall he was clean, no ticks on him. Just a small scratch on his ear," said Folkerts.

Folkerts believes Bear could have possibly been stuck in the same spot for most of the 14 days.

"If this is true, it was an absolute miracle from God. Being stuck fast for two weeks with nothing to drink but rain water, and little to eat, makes no logical sense," said Folkerts.

Folkerts broke down in tears of joy as she shared her gratitude to the community and strangers who hung flyers, searched through the woods and helped give her strength to continue searching.

"My faith in humanity has been restored during this journey. When my hope of ever finding Bear faltered the last few days, people stepped in to encourage me to keep looking, and remind me he was still out there. Their hope kept mine alive. I could never thank the hundreds of people who played a physical role in trying to bring Bear home, not to mention the countless prayers on Bear’s behalf," said Folkerts.

Those strangers have now become dear friends of Folkerts.

Folkerts is planning a meet-and-greet at Duke Island Park to extend her gratitude to anyone who helped and for a chance to meet Bear. To find out when it will be held or to read Folkerts full story about the rescue check out her Facebook profile below.

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