Joyful Ending: Missing Dog KC Found Safe

EAST HAMPTON, NY — In the happiest of endings, a missing three-legged dog in East Hampton was found safe after the storm.

According to her owner Becky Lester, KC was found on Springs Fireplace Road by Bernette Schoenster.

"I'm crying," Lester said joyfully, thrilled to have her precious pup back safely.

And she had a great big message of thanks for the army of angels who joined forces to search.

"Thank God for this community," Lester said. "Everyone was so helpful. So many people I met that just came out of the woodwork last night."

The family's dog sitter Katie Leland suggested walking their other dog, Noodle, to try to attract KC. Others suggested making bacon or other treats; a woman from Elsa's Ark brought delicious-smelling chicken from Brent's. One woman bought a bullhorn to call the dog's name and another man, a stranger, asked Lester if she'd seen KC; she told him she was KC's mom and thanked him for searching, too.

Lester and her family were worried about their dog being lost during Wednesday's storm. But on Thursday, Schoenster saw footprints in the snow.

Lester said she and her family had searched that spot about five times.

Once the footprints were found, her husband rushed to the scene and finally, KC was spotted. "She was all the way at the back of this property, where we wouldn't have been able to detect her. She must have been somewhere safe during the night, maybe under a deck, because she wasn't dirty at all," Lester said.

After KC was found, she was brought to Lester's husband's truck, where she was showered simultaneously with treats and admonishments.

"What a great community," Lester said. "I even had people calling me from the North Fork telling me what to do to get her back."

Her daughter, Lester said, cried with joy when she heard the news.

"Thank God for these people, who have such kind hearts and are just so amazing. There are so many animal lovers out there. It's like a whole big team that comes together and unites," Lester said.

Her dog safe, Lester said: "We are thrilled to death. Our baby's home."

Looking ahead, Lester said KC will never again be without her GPS tracker.

The frantic community came together to help bring a lost, three-legged dog home.

As the storm hit East Hampton Wednesday, Lester's heartbroken family searched desperately searching for their missing dog — but as of Thursday morning, there had been no sign of her.

Lester, a beloved pre-K teacher in Montauk, lives in Springs and said her dog KC, a four-year old, small, 40-lb. yellow lab, escaped Tuesday night without her tags

Lester said she got home Tuesday and the dogs — including the family's 240 lb. Mastiff, Noodle — went outside.

Lester saw KC at about 5 p.m. Tuesday but when she went out to feed her at 7 p.m., she saw that she'd escaped the fenced-in yard from their home at 14 Hawthorne Avenue off Springs Fireplace Road.

"She's done this before, but that's when she had four legs," she said.

KC, a jumper, missed a step and severed four tendons, leading to the loss of her leg, she said.

"She's a runner, a hunter, an adventurer. She loves to break out," she said.

The yard had been secured, but landscapers came to rake and inadvertently moved something that allowed KC to escape, she said.

KC has a GPS, but she wasn't wearing it because she hasn't run away since she lost her leg, Lester said. "Her whole collar is on the kitchen counter," she said.

Describing her adored family pet, Lester said KC is a friendly, happy dog. "She'll come when you call her. She loves to be pet."

The community raced to help, Lester said. "People are coming out of the woodwork, trying to help us find her."

One friend came immediately and drove so Lester could search. Her husband Brian Lester woke up as soon as the sun rose on Wednesday to search; and both Lester and her daughter Jules, 13, drove around all Wednesday afternoon after early dismissal from school. "We just keep calling her name."

With only three legs, Lester believes KC could not have gotten far. "When I walk her, after a mile, she's done. She's just looking at me, to carry her home."

The family spread the word on social media, called police, local vets and the Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons and the town's animal warden, she said.

Friends and community members helped the family search; Lester said she and her family combed the area within a four mile radius of their house. Her husband, she said, searched the woods around their house and the Springs Fireplace Road area. They've pulled down all the side roads and driveways off Springs Fireplace and Three Mile Harbor Roads. They also checked all the docks.

"Our friend told us to walk our Mastiff in hopes he would attract her but we didn't have any luck with that, either," Lester said.

(Noodles out looking for his sister.)

"Many animal lovers have called me and texted to tell me they were out searching, but no one has had a glimpse of her," she said.

The family even considered using a drone to try and spot their missing pup.

Lester was heartbroken.

"Our home isn't the same without KC," she said, adding that she hasn't slept since KC went missing.

Their dog, Lester said, means everything. "She's our little baby. Her name is KC for 'kisses and cuddles.' Santa brought her to my daughter for Christmas."

Friend Lori Flynn said a whole community rallied to help Lester bring her dog home safely. "One of our beloved teachers lost her dog last night," she wrote on social media. "She only has three legs and the storm is coming quickly," she said. "We have all driven around all day, all night." Lester, she said, "is a kind kind woman and beloved by the community. It hurts my heart to know how much pain she is in."

Lester, in turn, wants to thank the army of angels who's come to her aid. "We have such a great network of friends and family."

Patch courtesy photos.