Dog roaming Worcester neighborhood for 555 days finally safe

A dog who was roaming a one-mile radius in a Worcester neighborhood for 555 days was finally caught by tireless volunteers earlier this month.

Roxy, a rescue from Tennessee, was brought to Worcester in February of 2023. Days later, with her leash still on, she went missing. For 19 months, she roamed a small area near Kettle Brook Conservation Area.

Bernice Gero, a volunteer with Missing Dogs Massachusetts, told Boston.com that she’s been working to trap Roxy since she went missing. Gero has been putting out food, setting multiple traps, and tracking her movements.

“No matter what I put in there, bacon, steak, chicken, road kill, you name it. I tried everything,” Gero said, but Roxy never went fully into any of their traps they placed in homeowner’s backyards for months.

Roxy only went off the organization’s radar for a few months. In January, Roxy reappeared, limping and looking thin. Gero said she and other volunteers figured she was hit by a car on Route 9, a busy road nearby. Then, in May, the organization was able to set up a trap for her in a local yard.

Gero called Roxy “savvy” with traps. She most likely had experience living in the wild and was trapped in the past. 

“She is the most smartest dog I have ever encountered. She’s amazing, so everything had to be in baby steps,” Gero said. “It was from May until August 18. It took that long to acclimate her (to the trap).”

Gero, who has volunteered with the Peabody-based Missing Dogs Massachusetts for nine years, said Roxy’s journey back home was unusual. The longest she’s ever worked to trap a dog was six months. 

“It’s on the dog’s terms. It’s not on my terms, it’s not on your terms, it’s not on their terms, it’s on her terms, and that’s what we had to learn to do, is really let her (lead),” Gero said.

Roxy is currently staying with a foster and recovering from her adventure after seeing multiple veterinarians, Gero said.

“She’s the sweetest, sweetest dog ever,” Gero said. “Wow, after everything she’s been through, she’s a sweetheart.”