Community helps find lost Algonquin dog after two-month search

It took a village - three villages to be precise - to recover an Algonquin dog that had been missing for more than two months.

For weeks, dozens of signs were posted at intersections, hundreds of flyers were distributed in various neighborhoods and businesses throughout Algonquin, Carpentersville and Lake in the Hills in search of Kira - a 2-year-old duck tolling retriever.

The effort was monumental, but it is a lesson in remaining hopeful, owner Heidi Kern of Algonquin said. Kira is finally back home after more than nine weeks of surviving the often harsh weather.

"Don't give up," Kern said. "That's my advice."

When Kira disappeared, she had been with the family only three weeks, after being rescued.

"I don't think she even had an example of what home or security, or a family even looks like," Kern said. "She hadn't really acclimated or worked her way into a comfortable place."

Kern first notified the police department, veterinarian, dog rescue and lost dog groups. She then tapped postal workers, bus drivers, delivery men, patrol officers and hundreds of neighbors who kept a lookout for Kira during dog walks, along jogging routes and commutes to and from work.

"I started putting stuff up on social media ... more and more people started helping us," Kern said. "It created a fervor."

Nearly 100 calls of sightings started pouring in from Elgin east to South Barrington. Cameras and food stations were set up in areas where Kira was sighted to capture a glimpse or lure her into a trap. Kern instructed people not to chase Kira - she would bolt, if pursued.

"For almost six weeks, she was seen trotting up sidewalks, running at the edge of tree lines or between homes after hours when it was 'safe' to travel," Kern wrote on Nextdoor, an online community social platform.

After a November snowstorm, tracking Kira's movements in the snow became much easier. She was spotted in Lake in the Hills and Carpentersville, and was even caught on camera a few times. She looked healthier and had gained weight, Kern said.

Family members custom-built a trap designed for skittish dogs, using cattle fence panels. They set it up along the tree line behind the Carpentersville Menards, an area that Kira frequented.

She took the bait, but then managed to climb out within minutes.

After fiddling with the trap's closing mechanism, Kira was finally captured on Dec. 11. It had taken two weeks.

Now, Kern says, she's a different dog.

"Her tail has been wagging a lot. Her eyes are brighter and she seems to be smiling."

The family has Kira on two leashes now.

"We are taking every precaution because she's a flight risk," Kern said.

Kern said the entire experience was emotionally draining, but finding Kira - and being on the receiving end of an outpouring of help and support - was the best Christmas gift she could have imagined.

"The dog was only one part of this equation," Kern says. "The bigger story is how the people came together and didn't quit."