The Ultimate Christmas Gift: A Lost Dog, Found!

Nothing brings a community together quite like a shared mission and just before Christmas, Summit residents young and old found themselves unified on such a quest in search of a lost dog named Daisy.

You might remember having been in your local coffee shop or grocery store during the days leading up to December 25 and seeing a lost dog flier posted on the door. Or maybe you received the e-mail that showed up in countless inboxes that described the details of the dog’s possible whereabouts. Or perhaps you read a breaking news alert advising locals to keep their eyes open for the Blue Merl Sheltie on your town’s Patch homepage.

However you heard about the search for one of Summit’s four legged residents, we hope you also heard about her miraculous Christmas morning rescue. Read on for the heartwarming tale of a lost dog, the spirit and support of a New Jersey community, and a very happy ending.

On December 22, Summit resident Susan Grates, along with her husband and their three grown children and their families, were enjoying a holiday vacation in relaxing Puerto Vallarta, Mexico when miles away in chilly New Jersey, the Grates’ dog Daisy had just escaped from her sitter’s New Providence home.

“That breed (of dog) really wants to be in their home,” Grates said. “They want to defend their own property. (Daisy) wasn’t home, and she wanted to get home!”

For the next 48 hours or so, the Grates would be completely unaware of the devastating event that would soon gain the attention of residents and authorities in New Providence, Summit, Berkeley Heights and surrounding towns.

The Grates family had agreed to remain relatively “unplugged” from their electronic devices during their vacation save for the wireless internet access provided at their hotel. According to Grates, the family members didn’t own international cell phones, they hadn’t lugged their laptops along with them, and they hadn’t left their contact information with anyone back home in Summit.

“We’re never under the radar, and it’s kind of a nice thing to be unplugged,” said Grates of what could have been a relaxing vacation away from daily phone calls and e-mail messages.

But 2,278 miles away in New Providence, Daisy’s dog sitter and family were chasing after the Grates’ dog.

“When she’s scared, she runs surprisingly fast,” said Grates of the 23-pound dog which she and her husband have owned for more than six years.

Having had no luck apprehending the speedy canine, the searchers immediately contacted the Summit and New Providence police departments and eventually informed the authorities in Berkeley Heights as well. Grates had left the contact information of family friend and neighbor Tine Mikkelsen in case of an emergency and she was soon alerted of the news.

Mikkelsen played a crucial part in spreading the word about the missing Daisy. She sent out alerts through Facebook and Craigslist, posted fliers, called area veterinarians, and sent out an e-mail that eventually reached Patch staff inboxes.

“She was perseverance personified,” said Grates of her friend.

Other area residents also joined the search effort including  a neighbor's son Matt who assembled some friends and used his new Christmas flashlights to look for the missing furry friend. Even Paw, the Mikkelsens’ golden retriever helped to search for her canine companion.

“In this neighborhood especially, most everyone cares about the dogs,” said Daisy’s owner.

On Christmas Eve, the news finally reached the vacationing Grates via a family member’s Smartphone internet connection. Shortly after they were informed, Susan decided to make the trip back to New Jersey to assist Daisy’s search team.

“I figured, ‘I’ll never be able to find (Daisy), it’s a needle in a haystack,’” said Grates of her thoughts on the decision to head home and help with the search.

As luck would have it, Grates wouldn’t even have to step foot in America before her beloved Daisy was discovered.

According to Grates, the final rescue effort began on Christmas morning in nearby Berkeley Heights. A happy family (who have yet to be identified) were opening their Christmas presents when the mother spotted Daisy through a window. The woman had received the chain email the day before and seen the lost dog flier posted in her local Dunkin’ Donuts, telling of the missing sheltie.

“She said ‘That looks like that dog!’” recounted Grates of the story she’d been told. “So what do they do? They stopped opening their gifts, they dropped what they were doing, and the man got in the car to follow Daisy.”

Meanwhile, the man’s wife made the necessary phone calls to let searchers know the dog had been spotted. Soon, a team of dog lovers, family friends including the Mikkelsens and Paw, and neighbors who heard the news were out of their homes and on the streets to do what they could to get Daisy home.

The story ends in a Berkeley Heights neighborhood near Summit Medical Group where a fellow dog lover had cornered Daisy on his front porch and was keeping her captive through the skillful use of doggie treats.

“So then there’s this crowd of people Christmas morning descending upon Daisy!” said Grates of the scene when Daisy was finally found.

Altogether, Daisy had traveled at least three miles and spent three and a half days without any reliable source of food or water.

Less than 24 hours after the dog’s discovery, a record breaking blizzard would sweep through New Jersey and those involved would call it a miracle that Daisy was found in the nick of time.

“Our friends never gave up searching daily along with their children and dogs, putting food and water on our porch and checking our yard and property several times a day in case she found her way back home," Grates said, calling the efforts of those involved “tireless” and described them as “an outpouring of love.”

Since Daisy’s return, the Grates and their dog’s unlikely search team have continued to receive congratulations and well-wishes from friends and town residents.

“Our visit to the Murray Hill Vet's office was more an exhilarated family reunion with stories of Daisy sightings than a regular pet check-up," Grates said. "The MHV staff congratulated us, expressed their concern, and informed us of the many well wishers who had contacted their office."

Grates said repeatedly that she would like to thank all of those who took part in Daisy’s rescue.

“It was heartwarming; we were very moved by it. I think that it brought people together, it really did. I think it goes beyond just the love of a dog. It speaks to people wanting to help each other out in these three communities.”