If you need directions around Akron, you might want to ask Sushi.
This little dog knows the city like the back of her paw.
She eluded capture for 72 days in the bitter cold of Northeast Ohio as her worried owner, pet rescuers and an online team of concerned citizens searched high and low — mostly low — to bring her home.
“I never gave up hope,” said Goodyear Heights resident Ellie Carpenter, 34, who adopted Sushi in October from One of a Kind Pet Rescue in Wallhaven.
The 12-pound dog is a Shiba Inu, a Japanese breed that the American Kennel Club describes as sturdy and muscular “with a bold, confident personality to match.”
“She’s cheeky, she’s sneaky, but she’s very calm,” Carpenter said. “For the most part, she’s very playful.”
Rescue from puppy mill
Sushi, who is believed to be 7 years old, was rescued from a commercial breeder’s operation, where she apparently gave birth to several litters.
Carpenter was happy to welcome a third pet into her home as company for her chow chow mix Nessie and calico cat Pretzel.
Sushi was just getting acclimated to the surroundings when she began her big adventure Nov. 25 before Thanksgiving. Carpenter was walking her in the backyard when the leash snapped off the collar ring.
“I couldn’t grab her in time,” she said.
The little dog scampered across the yard and wriggled through a small hole beneath the wooden fence. She was gone in an instant.
Carpenter caught a glimpse of Sushi entering Goodyear Heights Metro Park but lost her in the woods. She quickly posted photos of the missing pet on Facebook and called One of a Kind, which put her in contact with JJ’s Ruff Roads, a search-and-rescue group dedicated to rescuing stray dogs and reuniting lost dogs with their owners.
For about a week, Carpenter scoured the neighborhood. She looked before and after her work as a service adviser at a car dealership.
“We kept our focus on the park,” she said.
Then she received a call from someone who reported seeing Sushi near Merriman Road. At first, Carpenter assumed it was a case of mistaken identity because the Merriman Hills neighborhood is so far away.
But then another Merriman Road resident sent a picture.
“Oh, my, God,” Carpenter said. “That’s her!”
Sushi eludes pursuers
The best guess is that Sushi walked several miles along the railroad tracks toward Northwest Akron. When people tried to capture her, she ran off.
All over town, Carpenter plastered posters of the brown, tan and black dog, and she posted frequent updates on social media. The sightings poured in, but the dog continued to elude pursuers.
“She was floating between Merriman, Stan Hywet and Sand Run,” Carpenter said. “When she finally decided to leave that area, she went to North Hill.”
Yes, another neighborhood!
That was a month into the search. Snow covered Northeast Ohio and temperatures plunged below zero.
Fortunately, Shiba Inu dogs are insulated against the cold.
“She has the double coat like a husky,” Carpenter said. “But my worry was with her being so small.”
Sushi decided to travel south. People on Facebook reported seeing her trotting through Sherbondy Hill, Kenmore and Barberton.
The dog scavenged for food and gobbled a few bites from people trying unsuccessfully to catch her. JJ’s trackers set up humane traps and attempted to lure her with the scent of urine from one of Sushi’s puppy mill sisters.
Carpenter estimated that she put up more than 450 posters. Strangers followed the search on social media, hoping for a happy outcome.
One of them was North Hill resident Jennifer Casper.
“I saw flyers all over Highland Square every time I drove through there,” she explained. “I saw updates on Facebook of sightings of the dog ranging from Kenmore to Cuyahoga Falls. Every time I saw one of those signs with the picture fading and getting tattered, I felt so badly for the dog and the owner …
“More recently, I hadn’t seen any news and was starting to fear the worst. So many times I wished I’d catch a glimpse of the dog and that would be the tip that finally led to her being found.”
Captured in Kenmore
The big break came late at night on Feb. 5.
Kristina Vasquez was out with her dog on Kilgore Street in Kenmore when she saw Sushi scrounging around a neighbor’s house. She recognized the pup and sprang into action.
“She called me at 11:30 at night,” Carpenter said. “She said, ‘I saw your dog go into my neighbor’s backyard. I slammed the gate shut.’ ”
Carpenter jumped in the car and called JJ’s tracker who was already in the neighborhood to set up a trap. Moments later, her phone rang.
“He called me and said, ‘I have her,’ ” Carpenter said.
After 72 days on the loose — east, west, north and south — Sushi was safe in the back of a truck.
“I cried the whole way going over there because I couldn’t believe it,” Carpenter said.
It was an emotional reunion. The sturdy little dog was in remarkable condition despite the long ordeal. Carpenter gave her a much-needed bath and took her to the veterinarian for a check-up.
No more running away
Sushi will never get lost again. Carpenter is making sure of it
“She gets triple-leashed if we go anywhere, and she has a GPS collar now,” she said.
When someone visits the house, Carpenter puts Sushi in the kennel until she’s sure that everything is closed up.
“And all the holes in the fence have been repaired,” she said.
Carpenter thanks all of the people who helped online.
She thanks One of a Kind volunteers Sherry Voros and Betty Lin-Fisher, the USA TODAY consumer writer and former Beacon Journal reporter, for buoying her spirits.
“They kind of kept me sane throughout the whole thing,” she said.
Carpenter thanks Vasquez for her quick thinking in capturing Sushi.
And she thanks JJ’s Ruff Roads for its tireless pursuit.
“They bring a lot of pets home,” she said.
For those who wish to give, donations can be made to jjsruffroads.org and oneofakindpets.com.
There’s now a big snugglefest in Goodyear Heights.
“It’s like a massive weight has been lifted both mentally and physically,” Carpenter said. “The piece of my heart that broke when she ran off is full again. Seeing her so happy, comfortable and safe fills me with so much joy.”
Welcome home, Sushi.
Mark J. Price can be reached at mprice@thebeaconjournal.com
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