A Happy Ending: Lost Puppy 'Juniper' Found in McLean

A lost puppy, Juniper, was found Friday afternoon after spending three nights out in freezing cold temperatures in McLean. The rescue pup had slipped away from its foster home Tuesday.

A McLean resident who had seen flyers up around town glanced out her kitchen window Friday and saw a little black dog that matched the description of the lost puppy. After closing a gate to keep it from running away, she ran to grab a poster off a pole to make the call.

The lost puppy, a shy 12-pound, black terrier mix, attracted plenty of volunteers and anxious residents who wanted to help. They kept in touch with a Find Juniper Facebook page set up to look for the rescue from Smyth County, Va.

Residents swapped sightings, tips, scheduled meet-ups to track the dog and finally basked in the good news late Friday afternoon, on the page.

The happy news was shared on the site:

“We got a call around 5:00 from a woman that said she saw a little black dog in her neighbors yard. Our rescue angel Monica was in her kitchen and saw her through the window! She closed the gates but Juniper was not secured and was so scared she could not be approached. She gave her a blanket and some chicken. She had seen the posters so she ran to get one off a pole. Posters do work!

Got there in about 15 minutes. After lots of chicken nuggets and some hamburger I was able to slip the leash around her and she was safe!

This happy ending was possible because of all the hard work and dedication from our amazing volunteers. First and foremost is Carmen. She is fearless and works tirelessly to help bring our lost dogs home. I’m afraid to try and name everyone because I’d surely miss someone but a big thank you to all. Printing posters, sharing on Facebook and those that braved some of the coldest temps ever really made the difference. And a big thank you to the directors Meredith, Darren and Dave for their unwavering support and dedication to ensuring the return of Juniper.

So happy she is warm and safe tonight. Thank you everyone! We did it!”