Brunswick Townsfolk Band Together To Save A Dog

April 10, 2001 Brunswick, Maine, USA

There's no shortage of Samaritans in this New England town.  When Paula, a Welsh Corgi, got herself into a jam, scores of dog-lovers came to the rescue.

Visiting from out of town, Paula and her owners Carol and Fred Kahrl were out for some fresh air when a loud noise at a nearby construction site sent the dog into a panic.

She dashed straight off into the woods, which were at the time blanketed by 2 feet of snow and impossible for a person to navigate.

The next day-and-a-half, Paula's owners spent posting ads and pictures all over the town.  Their efforts brought phone calls from many concerned people, reporting "Paula sightings", but the frightened dog would always vanish before her owners could get to her.

Pictured above is not Paula; this is Troubles, a brindle mix looking for a home. (Bangor HS, Maine)

Then last Friday morning, the little troublemaker was spotted hiding in a clump of trees near the Reserve SeaBee Unit campus.

What followed was an intricate symphony of teamwork that might remind you of that game Mousetrap we used to play when we were kids (except that this one actually worked, and nobody's kid sister swallowed the little, metal ball).

Within a matter of minutes, scores of strangers were on the scene, some gently herding the little beast toward a fence, others diverting traffic on the heavily-traveled Bath Road, and of course the Maestro himself, a man who jumped out of his red convertible and bounded through the waist-deep snow to throw his jacket over the amazed little dog.

To all of these people (most of which modestly disappeared without so much as a bow), Paula's family extends "many, many thanks – even to the other passersby who put up with the momentary congestion with patience and understanding."

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