Happy Endings & Reunifications

Clinton, WI

 Matthew came up from a southern state and was spooked shortly before being adopted. Fortunately, he stayed close to the area after getting loose. After 24 hours of multiple attempts to encourage Matthew to come to the person he was most familiar with, the rescue reached out to us to see if we could assist with live trapping him.

Before we began, Jeremy from Antler Recon came out with his thermal drone to help search the area and provide additional eyes from above. Having aerial thermal support can be incredibly valuable, especially when tracking a frightened dog that may be hiding in cover or moving unpredictably.

Once we arrived and got everything set up, Matthew suddenly appeared along the roadside and slowly began making his way toward us. Recognizing that our presence could make him nervous, we quietly backed away and gave him the space he needed to feel comfortable approaching. Within minutes, Matthew walked up to the trap and was safely contained.

Sometimes the simplest recoveries still require patience, teamwork, and the right tools. We're grateful for the collaboration between the rescue, our team, and Jeremy's thermal drone support that helped bring Matthew safely home!

Whitewater, WI

Four dumped puppies on Engel Road in the Town of Whitewater were brought to safety by multiple members of the community on June 8th, 2026.

While the act of dumping vulnerable animals leaves us angry and heartbroken, we have to celebrate the teamwork it took to ensure these four puppies remained safe. An individual who knew of us immediately called us for help and our director was out the door to help out. 

That night, everyone received much needed baths and flea medications. Per the municipality contract, we took them to Lakeland Animal Shelter the next day. 

Menomonee Falls, WI

On May 31st, French Fry squirmed her way out of an individual's hold and took off running. Our volunteer Danielle immediately responded to help French Fry's owner out, and we set up multiple road signs in the area to help notify members of the community. After working with the park staff to receive permission to set up a humane live trap, French Fry decided to surprise us! 

On the morning of June 3rd the dog park gates at Menomonee Park were briefly open due to a fawn that had been inside the area. In that small window, French Fry slipped in unnoticed. She made her way right back to her familiar corner where she likes to watch the squirrels, and that’s exactly where she was spotted by a passerby who was able to call the owner. 

From there, it was a swift reunion!  

Menomonee Falls, WI

On May 17th, Eleven took off running and disappeared into a marsh area about 1.5 miles southwest of her home. Despite spending days talking to community members, posting her photo on social media, and notifying businesses, there was no sightings reported. 

Then, Leonard from Thermal Drone SAR had the opportunity to drive up to Menomonee Falls and fly. A few hours in, he found her! Next came the tricky part. Eleven was deep into the marsh, and it was 11pm at night. Once we realized she was not stuck and was still able to move, we made the decision to come back during the day when we had light on our side. 

The next day Leonard's drone found her nearly in the same spot as the night before. Using his drone as a way to navigate, El's owner and our director began making their way to her. After walking a quarter of a mile in, it became clear that the deep mud and water was slowing everyone down, including Eleven. Once close enough, our Director was able to grab ahold of her and Eleven was able to be reunited with her owner!

1 Dog, 70+ Miles, 6 Counties

Marv's story started off in Beloit, WI towards the end of February. From there, he made his way to Clinton, which is when we were made aware of a stray dog roaming around the I43 on-ramp. We worked quickly to set up a humane-live trap only for Marv to get spooked by something and travel 17 miles east, all the way into Elkhorn. From there...nothing. 2 weeks of not knowing where he was. To our shock, he showed up in Racine! We worked quickly to get road signs out only for him to once again disappear. Weeks passed and we were beginning to feel discouraged until someone made a post about a dog hanging out by the WM Landfill in Franklin, WI. Turns out, it was Marv! 

We worked quickly to touch base with the staff at the landfill, and found out he had been patrolling the landfill for 2 weeks. He certainly felt at home! A trap went up, and by morning, we were able to safely live trap him. Marv turned out to be just the sweetest dog ever and he is currently up for adoption!

Whitewater, WI

While visiting family in the beginning of April, this spunky young dog decided to take off on an adventure of a lifetime. This case was especially challenging in multiple ways and we will be putting something together on our blog to discuss this lost dog case in depth!

Thankfully after 6 days of running all over the City of Whitewater, Tank was safely live trapped at 9:45pm on April 13th and quickly reunited with his owner. This was truly an amazing team effort that included everyone - from local businesses, UW-Whitewater students, and community members.

Waukesha, WI

To everyone's shock, Bitsy jumped out of the car during busy rush hour and took off running!

The next day, a community member saw Bitsy and did everything right. She stayed calm and remained a safe distance away while she waited for our team members to respond. With help of the community member and airport security, our volunteer was able to safely hand-catch Bitsy. 

This is what it takes: teamwork, communication, and good old-fashioned coordinated effort!

Caledonia, WI

After having a seizure, Daisy became confused and took off running on March 30th, 2026. Her family immediately stepped up and began doing everything right to bring their Daisy back home. At one point, after heavy rain, the owner even walked through 2.5ft of freezing cold water to get to the area Daisy was hanging out in. An attempt was made to lure Daisy back to the owner and a familiar dog, but Daisy was too nervous and not falling for any tricks. 

With the help of Leonard from Thermal Drone SAR, we were able to get eyes on her and come up with a plan. We strategically placed two humane live traps based on where she was staying and the wind direction. A few hours later, she went into the trap! 

Turtle & Beloit, WI

 After days of talking to people and hearing how the closest anyone could get was still 200–300 yards away, this little sweetie decided to throw everyone a curveball!

On March 27th, she walked right up to a group of kids playing and had the best time with them. We are incredibly grateful for the quick thinking and kindness of Ashley and her kids, who were able to safely contain her and help bring this case to a close.

We went to pick her up ourselves—still in shock that she approached someone so willingly after days of avoidance—and brought her to the HSSW where she’ll be extra spoiled and cared for.
 

Rome, WI

The community's concerns were heard after this stray yellow lab was seen multiple times walking in the road on March 23rd, 2026. She was acting nervous and wouldn't go up to anyone that attempted to hand-catch her.

After spending all day knocking on doors, and talking to the Game Warden, a plan was put into action. A nearby house was all-in when he came to setting up a trap, even offering to help monitor if needed. Then, to everyone's surprise, that evening she decided to go up to that individual and was safely contained in a pole barn. She was initially taken to Humane Society of Jefferson County but after a few days they transferred her to another shelter, and she was ultimately behaviorally euthanized due to unprovoked aggression concerns.

Burlington, WI

A happy adoption takes a turn when Nala gets scared at a veterinary clinic and takes off running. After an extensive drone search with Leonard from Thermal Drone SAR and Jeremy from JR's Drone Services, Nala was seen just on the edge of the nearby lake. A water rescue was attempted, but it turned out that Nala was not stuck and took off running. Traps and cameras were then strategically set up, and then came the hard part...waiting. 

Much to our surprise, Nala decided after 3 days to go up to a group of kids, whose smart-thinking allowed her to be safely caught and reunited!

Town of Beloit, WI

A concerned citizen reached out to us on March 8th after seeing a stray dog repeatedly show up on their property. From there, a plan was quickly set into motion. The trap and trail cameras went up within 2 hours, and it became a waiting game. Just 5 hours after the trap was set, we caught the dog! 

Many thanks to the community member for recognizing something wasn't right and to HSSW for taking him in after hours. As always, JHAC follows contracts already in place which thankfully meant this stray dog had a place to hang out after he was caught. As of this time, Scooby is currently up for adoption at HSSW. 

Oconomowoc, WI

Carmelo took off from home with his brother in tow, however when the brother came back and Carmelo didn't, we realized there was a need for help. There was a larger marsh area directly to the south and there was concern that he may have been pushed in there. By push, we refer to outside influences that cause a dog to move away from 

Within minutes of Jon from Sky Guardian coming out to fly, Carmelo was located - in the marsh! From there, our volunteer went out with the owner and we were able to direct them to where Carmelo was. Everyone's help led to a safe recovery!

Mequon, WI

Named Chauncey by the community member, our volunteers jumped into action on February 26th when we received word of a stray Heeler that was consistently seen hanging out by a landscape business in Mequon. With no matching reports and not wanting to waste any more time, we headed out. Thankfully, just a few hours later and after the Heeler gained some courage to enter the trap, we caught her! Mequon PD was fantastic to work with, and she was taken to Ozaukee Humane Society. We were recently informed in May 2026 that Chauncey found her forever home!

Journey Home assisted the community member with live-trapping. 

Richmond, WI

On February 18th, 2026 an individual recognized that this German-Shorthaired Pointer was not a neighborhood dog and reached out to us. Within minutes of us getting there and setting up the trap, this sweetie was hungry and immediately went in while we were standing about 30ft away. 

Then, as we were moving her, a truck pulled over - it was her owner! We found out that she had caught whiff of something and took off running the night before. She had ended up nearly 5 miles away from home. It was truly a happy ending!

Journey Home assisted the community member with live-trapping and getting this sweetheart home.

Oconomowoc, WI

Blush got scared and took off running from her new adopter on February 15th, 2026. Given the time of year, the lake was frozen over and she was able to cross over, going roughly 2 miles south. At one point we were able to see her on the ice, but a passerby who was unaware of what was happening spooked Blush, driving her away from the owner and one of our volunteers. Then, after an all-hands-on-deck effort, the trainer who's worked with Blush for years was able to come down from Sun Prairie, WI and safely hand catch Blush on February 17th, 2026. 

Journey Home worked with the Police Departments, the Fire Department, and Leonard from Thermal Drone SAR to help locate her and bring her home.

Hartland, WI

Rosie took off running on January 7th, 2026 after being taken to a friends house. After tracking her patterns and setting up food stations, Rosie was able to be successfully trapped on January 17th, 2026.

Journey Home worked with two thermal drone operators, Tony from Sky Guardian Rescue and Leonard from Thermal Drone SAR Services, to safely bring Rosie home! Both thermal drone teams flew for nearly 9 hours on the 17th and it helped determine where to set the trap for our best chance of success. 

Beloit, WI

Chimera ran out the door in early November 2025 and despite multiple attempts from the family, she kept running away from them. Over the course of several weeks, Chimera traveled multiple times between South Beloit, Illinois and Beloit, Wisconsin. 

Towards the beginning of December, Chimera's owner reached out to Journey Home for assistance in trapping her dog. At this point, there was a lot of community investment in the safety of Chimera and getting her back home, so sightings were regular and we began to establish a pattern for how Chimera was travelling. 

Then, on December 19th, 2025, at 3am Chimera was seen less than 0.1 miles away from our trap by a police officer. At that point, Chimera decided to just walk right up to her and be safely contained, thus ending her outside adventure. 

*Journey Home assisted with talking to individuals, setting up a feeding station, setting up a trap and trail cameras, etc. 

Whitewater, WI

Maggie was spooked while out on a walk on November 28th, 2025 and took off running from her family. Of course, this was also right before a major snow storm! Two thermal drones were sent up in the area - one by Jon at Sky Guardian Rescue and one by the Whitewater Police Department - but unfortunately she wasn't seen. 

After the snow started, it wasn't a big surprise that there were no sightings, as she was likely hunkered down somewhere safe to wait out the storm. 

Then, on November 30th, 2025, at 3am she was spotted nearly 1.5 miles southeast of where she got out. From then on, numerous sightings and a quick response from the owner led to Maggie thankfully being safely caught by Highway 12 (3.5 miles away from where she ran from).

*Journey Home assisted with talking to individuals, and having a trap and trail camera ready to go if it was needed

Lake Geneva, WI

Coco's family was visiting Lake Geneva when the door to their Airbnb didn't latch! Coco took off and was spotted multiple times within a half mile radius. After handing out flyers, posting all over social media, working with a thermal drone operator from Sky Guardian Rescue, and spending time canvassing the area, the owner's had to call it for the night. 

Thankfully the next day Coco was seen curled up on a nearby porch and the owner was able to get her! 

*Journey Home assisted with handing out flyers and setting up a camera by the Airbnb in case Coco circled back home. We also had a trap ready to go if it was needed!

Rockford, IL

Jack Frost "Frosty" was seen free-roaming in a Rockford, Illinois neighborhood from October to November 2025. After seeing multiple posts from worried community members, JHAC director Rachael reached out to a contact in Illinois to see what was going on and if more could be done. Because there was a known owner, it was going to be up to the owner to decide to surrender or not. 

Thankfully, after he was spotted yet again before a cold snap and in even worse condition, the owner made the decision to surrender him. We recognize this was not an easy decision for her, as she has had Frosty since he was a kitten, but we are incredibly grateful she was willing to do so. Our director was reached out to and JHAC immediately agreed to assist! 

After multiple baths, Frosty looked like a distinguished gentleman again! Given his age (15 years old) and several medical concerns, he will be welcomed into a quiet WI household with a few other senior pets to comfortably live out the rest of his life. 

Whitewater, WI

Trapped in record time — just 5 hours— on November 4th, 2025! This scared girl had been using the railroad tracks as her highway, traveling miles at a time. When she finally made it into the middle of Whitewater, we were able to get quick permission to set a trap on a property right next to the tracks. As night fell, we parked nearby and watched quietly, hoping she’d stay in the area. The moment she caught the scent of food, she walked straight into the trap without a second thought.

We know she’d been roaming for at least a week, but after finally seeing her up close in the light, it’s very likely she’d been out much longer. 

We are incredibly grateful to the staff at Lakeland Animal Shelter for taking care of her and working on getting her healthy! She was adopted out to a loving family in December 2025

Beloit, WI

This wandering girl started being seen in June 2025. After a few months and realizing no one was stepping up to the plate, JHAC committed to helping bring this dog to safety. With the help of the community, and a new volunteer, JHAC successfully trapped her within 30 hours on September 30th, 2025.

Per municipality contract, and with the help of a CSO, she was transported to Humane Society of Southern Wisconsin (HSSW). She has since been adopted into an amazing, loving home!

Eagle, WI

This little guy was first reported in the area along Highway 67, between Pieper Road and ZZ, on August 23rd, 2025. After it became obvious he was staying in the area, a small trapping team was put together and the work began. 

By some miracle, two days after we received permission to set up a trap in the Kettle Moraine Forest, the Game Warden found him at an abandoned campsite and was able to safely contain him on September 21st, 2025. 

Adopted out through Humane Animal Welfare Association (HAWS - Waukesha)

Palmyra, WI

Batman was safely trapped on June 23rd, 2025! Originally, Batman got out in South Milwaukee towards the start of May 2025. Over time, Batman travelled from South Milwaukee to Palmyra. Once he was starting to be seen in Palmyra, JHAC was contacted to help trap him.  After a week, Batman was convinced to go into the trap and he was finally brought to safety.

Whitewater, WI

Robbie was safely trapped on May 12th, 2025 after being outside for nearly a month and a half. He had slipped out the door on March 28th, 2025 and proceeded to be difficult to catch in a normal trap. For a month he was desensitized to the drop trap and when he became more comfortable eating under it, he was caught!

JHAC assisted the owners and worked alongside someone from the rescue Robbie was adopted from to get him back home

Elkhorn, WI

Barbie was safely live trapped on April 10th, 2025. This was a wonderful team effort with Billy's Posse (based in Racine County) who did a majority of the work as we had our trap currently in use. The distance from where Barbie got out to where she was trapped was just a little under 3 miles.

JHAC responded to help lift the trap and get Barbie back into the owner's vehicle after being caught, but was otherwise just on stand-by if more assistance was needed.

Turtle, WI

Magnolia (rescue name) was safely live trapped on March 30th, 2025. She had been wandering around South Creek Road for several days, and after the neighbors started talking, they quickly realized she was a stray. With storms on the way, JHAC met up with neighboring houses and came up with a game plan to bring Magnolia to safety.  In just a few days, Magnolia was caught!

Adopted out through Albert's Dog Lounge!

*JHAC assisted with trail cameras and trapping

Eagle, WI

Teddy went missing on March 4th, 2025. With the help of observant community members and a drone operator, the owner was able to find Teddy in just a few days! Measuring the distance between all the sightings, and understanding that he likely retraced his steps/walked in circles trying to find his way back home, Teddy traveled anywhere between 5-10 miles. He stayed relatively close to where he got out, but that is still quite the distance for a 10lb Pomeranian!

*JHAC assisted with trail cameras, and having a trap ready to go if he stayed in one area long enough

Whitewater, WI

Nayla went missing in May of 2021. On February 4th, 2025 she was trapped at a feral cat caretaker's house and scanned for a microchip. She was chipped and it was discovered she had been missing for years! She was trapped less than half a mile away from where she got out and had never been trapped or taken in by anyone during that time.

*JHAC trapped her,  scanned for a chip, and helped reuniting her!

Fort Atkinson/Whitewater, WI

Burger went missing in November 2024 by someone who assumed she was abandoned. That person wasn't on social media and took her home. A few months later, at the end of January 2025, they needed to surrender Burger due to moving. The connection was made a week later and Burger went home! Burger was not microchipped at the time she went missing, but she's microchipped now to prevent issues like this again. 

*JHAC recognized and reunited her!

Rockdale to Cambridge to Lake Mills, WI

Romeo ran away from his home on January 10th, 2025 and sparked a community to join together and reunite him with his owner. After using 18 days of tracking sightings, using drones, knocking on doors, handing out fliers, etc, Romeo was safely captured by his owner and brought back home!

*JHAC assisted with setting up a trap and trail camera in areas he was spotted multiple times

Darien/Allen's Grove, WI

Baby was a new foster dog and she slipped away when going outside to the bathroom. From January 6th, 2025 to January 11th, 2025 there were no sightings and then all of a sudden she popped up nearly 5 miles away. The foster family rushed over and was able to convince her that it was okay, leading to a safe capture!

*JHAC assisted with trail cameras and was ready to go with a trap once there was a sighting

Whitewater, WI

Buffy got away from the pet sitter during a winter storm on January 19th, 2024. After no sightings for 5 days, Buffy appeared right down the road from where she went missing. Soaking wet from the rain, a lovely couple stopped their car and Buffy hopped right in!

*JHAC assisted with handing out fliers, talking to businesses, meeting up with the owner several times, and helping look her over for any potential injuries after she was finally found.