'We Are So Lucky': Lost Dog Safe Thanks To North Fork Neighbors

PECONIC, NY —A lost dog is home safe and sound thanks to a caring North Fork community that turned out in force to search.

According to Kristen Robinson, her mother Yvonne Robinson's dog Kaya, 3-pound, brown, short-haired chihuahua, went missing at 1:30 p.m. on August 7 from Robinson Lane, off Indian Neck Lane in Peconic. And, thanks to an outpouring of support, she was found on August 9 at 3 p.m.

"Finding her would not have been possible without the amazing support of our North Fork community who turned out at all hours of the day and night, and in the rain," Robinson wrote on social media. "I am particularly grateful to Patricia DeMott Dussault of Long Island Lost Dog Search & Rescue who kept us calm and positive, helped us hang hundreds of posters, and gave us the advice we needed to get her found. And thanks to all of you who shared and sent messages of support."

Speaking to Patch about the neighbors who opened their hearts to bring Kaya home, Robinson said she and her husband moved to the North Fork in December.

"We fell in love with its laidback charm and strong sense of community. When Kaya was lost we were distraught," she said.

She and her family did whatever they could to find Kaya, including posting on social media and reaching out to the neighborhood association, Robinson said.

"Within hours we had the help of Patricia from Long Island Lost Dog Search and Rescue, neighbors, and people from miles away who heard. They helped us have more eyes out looking for her and lifted our spirits with their positivity and assurance that she would be found," Robinson said.

Patricia and Long Island Lost Dog Search and Rescue, a non-profit, advised her family on how to conduct an effective search while also searching with them every day, Robinson said.

"They are truly amazing and I don’t think Kaya would be in our arms without their advice and help," she said.

In addition, Robinson said she rode her bike and drove around from 4 a.m. until midnight every day, searching. "I saw countless people walking, running, biking — all looking for her," she said. "Their presence made us not lose hope, which would have been so easy when one thought about the odds."

One neighbor's brother was out at 4 a.m. searching every morning, Robinson said. She said she was also grateful to businesses including Raphael, White Flower Farmhouse, In the Attic Too, The Harvest Inn, and Pindar, as well as many others that hung signs, posted on social media, and called to see how the search was going, she said.

"Kaya was found three days after she went missing," Robinson said. Kaya was found 1.5 miles away on Leslie Road in Peconic, after Ann from CX Vineyards called to say she had been seen on their front lawn at 8:30 am and had run onto a neighbor's property.

"We went to the neighbor's and they said they had seen her that night, so we knew she was hanging out in that area. Two days before she was seen there by another person who tried to catch her but she ran off into woods," she said.

Her mother asked permission to stay there and wait, Robinson said. "She sat with some dog food and her scented articles of clothing all day while I biked around looking for her. Sure enough, at around 3 p.m., Kaya came out from the woods behind the vineyard. She saw my mom and popped back in, but then a few minutes later, came out. My mom followed cues Patricia had given us, including to get down on the ground, to talk softly, and not to make eye contact — and sure enough, Kaya went over to my mom and we got her!" Robinson said.

The experience sparked a newfound appreciation for the diminutive pup.

"A 3-pound chihuahua survived two nights of rain all on her own and we are just in awe of her. We are so happy, relieved, tired, and grateful. Had our neighbors not kept an eye out for her and Patricia not advised us on survival mode, we wouldn’t have had the spottings, which led us to her and our reunion," Robinson said.

The experience has changed her family forever, Robinson said.

"The trauma of losing a dog reminds us not only to be grateful for our beloved pets, but reveals how we can weather adverse situations," Robinson said. "My family and I are so lucky to have had the amazing support of our neighbors and the North Fork community. Folks we didn’t even know became friends and confidantes overnight. I’ve never experienced such a strong and kind community at any other place in my life and I feel truly blessed to be surrounded by such amazing people and businesses. We loved this place long before we moved here, but have fallen even more in love, thanks to all of you."

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