Lost dog found in Sanbornville after going missing for over 170 days

In Nov. 2024, Sweet Pea was just settling into a new home, but not before long, she’d be on the run in the wild.

“She was adopted and got away from her adopter within two hours of being adopted,” said Holly Mokrzecki with Granite State Dog Recovery. “She ended up in a great town, Sanbornville, which is a little community near Wakefield, where she has been since Jan. 15.”

That’s when Granite State Dog Recovery stepped in to help.

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Mokrzecki said her team searched for Sweet Pea using food and safe traps. However, Sweet Pea was too smart for that.

“We pretty much used everything in our arsenal to try to trap and outsmart probably one of the smartest dogs that we’ve ever had to catch,” said Susan Piche with Granite State Dog Recovery.

From a kennel to security cameras, Sweet Pea would avoid all of it, at all costs. Mokrzecki said Sweet Pea would still hunt down the food volunteers were leaving out and even invited some friends to the table.

“We weren’t only feeding this dog; we had to leave enough food for the ravens. We had to leave enough food for foxes. She was friends with two foxes,” she said. “We would put out every single night, probably 50 to $75 worth of food to feed her and wildlife. We have been doing this since January.”

Weeks would go by, with no sightings of Sweet Pea.

She survived through the cold winter, and eventually, with the help of volunteers, she was found after more than 170 days since she was first reported missing.

“This dog is a true testament that dogs know how to survive, right? Do not give up,” Mokrzecki said.

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