Anchovy Jack had a rough month. Days after being neutered and losing his right eye, the little tan dog slipped out of his new San Francisco home and decided the city was his. For weeks he was spotted in the Sunset, the Richmond, Golden Gate Park, the Marina, and the Presidio. He could jump fences. He could run. Nobody could get within arm’s reach.
Animal control tried. So did a lot of well-meaning strangers, which was part of the problem. San Francisco Animal Care and Control asked residents to stop chasing him and to call dispatch only if he was in traffic or already contained. Every chase pushed him into a new neighborhood. Eventually the shelter brought in Susan Packer of K9Reunite, a lost-pet recovery specialist, plus volunteers who tracked sightings from a distance and let him settle. When his territory shrank, Packer set a humane trap and waited days and nights nearby. He walked into it one quiet evening.
He is back at the shelter now, eating, drinking, and resting, and he will not return to the home he escaped. Staff say he needs a foster placement through a rescue that can match his energy before anyone talks about adoption again.
What this means for your dog: the first two weeks after adoption are the highest-risk window for a bolt, especially after surgery. A frightened dog does not come when called, and chasing teaches it to run farther. Use a harness with a backup clip, keep tags on the collar, register the microchip, and if a dog does get loose, stop chasing and start reporting. Recall training is the long game. A trap and a phone tree are the short one.