Kids & Family

Lost Dog Back Home, Survived Frigid Weekend Roaming Wakefield

Dog bolted from yard during Thursday snowstorm after neighbor set off fireworks. Residents posted tips about sightings all weekend and got good news Sunday morning.

Local residents helped reunite a Wakefield woman and her lost dog over the weekend, using Wakefield Patch and its Facebook page to post recent sightings and words of encouragement. 

The dog Pepper bolted from her yard in Wakefield during Thursday night's snowstorm after a neighbor set off fireworks. Her owner, Charlene Coneys, lost track of the dog near Hamilton Road and Richardson Street, and posted an announcement on this website early Friday morning about Pepper. We highlighted the link on our Facebook and Twitter pages to further get the word out. 

The first tip of a possible Pepper sighting came in only an hour later via the Facebook page, saying that the dog had been seen near the Dockside Restaurant. Over the course of the weekend, other town residents posted tips about the latest sightings of the dog. Others offered words of encouragement, and concern about Pepper's safety, with temperatures in the single digits for a good part of her absence. 

On Saturday evening, Coneys reported in the comments section of her announcement that she was heading to the area around Shaw's because Pepper had been spotted there.  Just an hour earlier, she had provided an update saying there were no sightings for the day, expressing hope that Pepper had found a sufficient shelter. "I thank everyone for their efforts. Such a caring community," she wrote at one point in the search, which she maintained almost without pause. 

Sunday morning, Coneys was able to share some great news with everybody who had followed the story.  

"I walked the area she was last seen very early this morning. Came home and went to get a cup of coffee to start a car search. Decided to drive past my house and she was in the driveway. She is tired and hungry and will go to the vet today. I do not know how to thank everyone for their keeping an eye out, calling and caring enough to get involved. What a remarkable sense of community. Thank you from the bottom of my heart doesn't even begin to say how much I appreciate it. God bless you all!"            


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