A yellow Labrador Retriever named Kota Bean was well known in her family for her impressive escape skills.
She had slipped out of a damaged electric fence after a storm in Macon, Georgia, and managed to break through every other barrier her owners had tried.
But her latest disappearance was unlike the others.
Master Escape Artist
Kellie Deck Tuten explained on Facebook that no matter what they tried, Kota always found her way out.
“We have been through countless crates, kennels, cages and all sorts of ways to contain her during the very few hours we needed her contained,” wrote Kellie.
Normally, when Kota escaped, she stayed close to home. Her family would either bring her back or she would return on her own within hours.
But this time was different. Daylight faded, and Kota was nowhere to be found.
The Tutens quickly organized a search party. They handed out flyers and reached out to every animal shelter in Macon, hoping someone might have seen their beloved dog.
Despite all their efforts, the family had no luck. As the months passed without a trace of Kota, hope began to fade.
But everything was about to change.
A Familiar Face Appears
Scrolling through Bibb County Animal Shelter’s website, the family spotted a face they knew all too well.
They shared it with a general location in the description, and that’s when I saw her. I KNEW it was her.
Kellie recognized the area where Kota had last been seen and reached out to a friend nearby.
Her friend confirmed it was indeed Kota wandering the area and promised to alert Kellie whenever she saw her. But each time Kellie rushed over, Kota was gone again.
Though frustrating, Kellie held on to hope. Then, another rescuer reached out with surprising news.
Lisa Wood … had been feeding my dog twice a day, took in her (not 1 but 2 litters of) puppies and found them all loving homes.
Lisa said she had recently spotted Kota but didn’t know where her latest litter of puppies was hidden.
Determined to solve the mystery, Lisa and Kellie teamed up to locate both Kota and her new babies.
Mission To Rescue Kota
Even though they got close several times, capturing Kota wasn’t easy. Finally, Lisa managed to slip a collar with a GPS tracker onto her, giving them a way to follow her to her den.
When they arrived, they realized they faced another obstacle.
Kota ran up to a drain pipe and sniffed and then ran back several feet and laid down. We were pretty certain the puppies were in there … but we couldn’t hear or see them.
They called in extra help, and with Amy Beth Wall and Sean Wall joining the mission, the group cut into the tunnel to reach the little family.
After hours of digging, they pulled four tiny puppies safely out of the pipe.
But the rescue wasn’t finished. Kota, still too frightened, refused to come close.
It wasn’t until the next night that we were able to get Kota to jump in the car with us and the puppies and come home.
The mission was a success, bringing Kota and her puppies safely back home where they belonged.
Adjusting To A New Life
The puppies quickly settled into their new surroundings, but Kota needed more time.
She is still warming back up to us. She doesn’t have much interest in coming inside, which is a huge change from before. But she comes to greet us when we go sit in the backyard.
Even though Kota enjoys getting cuddles from her hoomans, she still needs some time to heal from the frightening world outside her warm home.
She doesn’t seem interested in her old toys or anything either. It’s been hard for us because it just makes it seem like she’s unhappy here, but I think it’s more so that she’s still traumatized from having to fight to be safe.
Though she enjoyed affection, her family noticed her hesitation. The Tutens chose to be patient, letting Kota heal and regain her comfort at her own pace.
At the moment, they’re overjoyed to have Kota Bean home again and to watch her four adorable puppies brighten the yard with happiness.