M

Kim Saxon and Ponce were reunited after a five-month separation. aybe he was trying to live up

to his name Ponce -- as in explorer Ponce De Leon -- or maybe he was just out on a rabbit hunt, but a little terrier surprised everyone when he miraculously was found and returned home safely after more than five months in Central Texas.

Ponce went missing in Adamsville after he and his brother chased a rabbit while visiting the family ranch on Jan. 19, 2009, his eighth birthday. Ponce's brother came back when called, but Ponce kept going through an open gate and into a world quite foreign to a timid city dweller.

Ponce's family searched for days for the dog, and posted signs and flyers, but there was no response. He seemed to have vanished.

After searching for a week, owners Kim Saxon and John Davis from Dallas hired Dog Gone Detectives to search for Ponce.

The team tracked the pet several miles to FM 581. "We assumed that someone picked up Ponce, and we were hoping they would call us," said Ms. Saxon. "After several weeks, we started to think that someone decided to keep Ponce, or they didn't know we were looking for him."

After a couple of months passed, Ms. Saxon said she believed Ponce was out there somewhere, and she couldn't give up on him. She decided to run some newspaper ads.

Lost dog advertisements were placed in area newspapers, including the Lampasas Dispatch Record. As soon as the ad ran in Lampasas, Ms. Saxon received a response from Dean and Sharon Watson.

The Lampasas County road workers in Adamsville had seen a dog a couple of times that looked like Ponce, and they said he was heading north.

After searching a few days in the Adamsville area with no success, Ms. Saxon ran an ad in the Evant paper. By that time, Ponce had been missing for more than three months.

Meta and David Henry of Star saw the lost dog ad. Ponce's photo looked a lot like recent photos of a dog that appeared on one of their trail cameras, they said.

Mrs. Henry sent an e-mail to Ms. Saxon and attached the photos. Her e-mail read, "Could this be Ponce?"

As soon as Ponce's owners saw the photos, they knew it was their dog, Ms. Saxon said. Ponce had traveled about 20 miles and looked like he was in good shape.

Ms. Saxon immediately posted flyers in Star and talked to as many people as possible, trying to narrow down Ponce's location.

Kay Sutherland, Star's postmaster, was instrumental during the search, and the post office became Ponce search headquarters.

The dog search team looked for Ponce in Star, but he had left so many scent trails there it was difficult to track him down.

"The good news was that the scent trails were fresh, and it was a good sign that Ponce was still in the area," said Ms. Saxon.

Soon several sightings of Ponce were reported in Star. A mail carrier saw him, and workers on a farm saw him several times. Mrs. Henry continued to put out dog food by the trail cameras, hoping to get another photo of the terrier.

In early June, it worked; he appeared again.

After Ponce's crate, other items from home and carrots -- one of his favorite foods -- were left at the camera site, Ponce showed up yet again a few days later.

During the same time period, the workers next door at McCasland Farms saw Ponce sleeping in the barn two nights in a row. He would not come to the workers, and after days of searching with no success, it seemed the only way to rescue Ponce was to trap him.

Kasey Dressel, Lampasas County animal control officer, and Shirl Wangler, who runs the Lampasas County Animal Intake Shelter, had been following the search since January, and they loaned Ms. Saxon a live trap. The trap was placed at the McCasland Farms barn, and with the help of the workers there, Ponce was caught within a few days -- on June 28.

William Tidwell, the ranch supervisor, called Ms. Saxon and announced: "I have a little dog here for you." It was the call she had been anticipating for more than five months.

Ponce recognized his owners instantly and squealed with delight when asked if he was ready to go home, Ms. Saxon said.

Ponce is in great shape considering his adventure. He survived an ice storm, a flood, several thunderstorms and temperatures that ranged from 17 degrees to over 100 degrees. He had lots of fleas and is hungrier than usual, but otherwise acts like his old self, said Ms. Saxon.

Star was the perfect place for a lost dog to settle. There is a nice, big creek with big, shady pecan trees and lots of squirrels, mice and other critters to eat. Plus, it seems Ponce might have been sharing cat food with the local animals.

"It is interesting how one event led to another to create this happy ending," said Ms. Saxon. "If the timing had been different, it might not have happened."

Indeed, the search dog team gave her hope and caused Ms. Saxon to eventually place lost dog ads. The Dispatch Record advertisement led to sightings in Adamsville, and those sightings led to an ad in the Evant newspaper. That ad caused Mrs. Henry to contact Ms. Saxon, and if the ads had run earlier it would have been too early -- before Ponce showed up on the trail camera.

"We are so thankful for the animal lovers that helped us in Star, Adamsville, Evant and Lampasas," said Ms. Saxon. "Without their help, we would have never found Ponce.

"It certainly gives 'wishing upon a star' a whole new meaning."

Editor's note: This account was submitted to the Dispatch Record by Kim Saxon, Ponce's owner.