Collage of Charley and Batman Jack by John Shafer
It all started one day in February 2017. Animal lovers Patricia and Jim Matthews found one of the stray coonhounds they had been feeding lying still on the highway near their home in Duplin County, NC. He had been hit by a car. So the kind couple rushed him to their vet and paid to have the injured dog checked out. A thorough examination and x-ray revealed a concussion but no broken bones.
Afterwards, the couple brought the poor hound to the Duplin County shelter, where he was named “Jim.” The Duplin County shelter seemed like Jim’s best chance to find a home. The sympathetic staff was known to work with volunteer groups like Pet Friends of Duplin County.
About five days later, far off in Wisconsin, coonhound rescuer Anna Nirva checked her FaceBook feed. A post of a cute hound with a concussion caught her attention, Jim. Jim was slated for euthanasia in North Carolina that afternoon, February 24. Unfortunately, in keeping with NC state requirements, the time limit for each animal in a shelter is five days. And for Jim, time had run out. Having pulled other coonhounds from the Duplin County shelter in the past, Anna had worked with several people at Pet Friends before, so she reached out to her cyber contacts, sharing Jim’s picture and asking, “Is anyone interested in helping to save his life today?”
Afterwards, the couple brought the poor hound to the Duplin County shelter, where he was named “Jim.” The Duplin County shelter seemed like Jim’s best chance to find a home. The sympathetic staff was known to work with volunteer groups like Pet Friends of Duplin County.
About five days later, far off in Wisconsin, coonhound rescuer Anna Nirva checked her FaceBook feed. A post of a cute hound with a concussion caught her attention, Jim. Jim was slated for euthanasia in North Carolina that afternoon, February 24. Unfortunately, in keeping with NC state requirements, the time limit for each animal in a shelter is five days. And for Jim, time had run out. Having pulled other coonhounds from the Duplin County shelter in the past, Anna had worked with several people at Pet Friends before, so she reached out to her cyber contacts, sharing Jim’s picture and asking, “Is anyone interested in helping to save his life today?”
Anna posted Jim’s pictures on her Facebook page, asking for help to save his life.
Within minutes, she had not one answer, but two! Diamond Dogs Rescue in Wisconsin offered to accept him into their rescue and Rebecca (Becca) Wise offered to adopt him. Already familiar with procedures at the shelter, Anna texted Bobbie Kennedy, the animal control officer in Duplin County, to “pull” him and pay the fee. Pet Friends volunteer Elaine Scott drove Jim to Riverbank Vet, where Anna has an account, for tests, vaccines, de-worming and neutering before interstate transport and adoption. Thomas Marley graciously offered to foster Jim with additional coordination from longtime rescuer Dorsey Patrick, who had also been networking feverishly to help Jim get rescued. Then Anna set up a youcaring.com fundraiser page to pay for the cost of Jim’s vetting in addition to the cost of treating his concussion. The youcaring.com fund began filling up right away, auspiciously beginning with the pledge of $100 from supportive coonhound rescuer Marc Ehrenberg.
Jim was obviously in pain from the concussion. This photo was taken at Riverbank Vet.
A week later, though, Patricia Matthews contacted Anna in Wisconsin again. Why? Jim’s brother, Jack, was in the same shelter as Jim, and, like Jim, was slated for imminent euthanasia! But Anna didn’t know about Jack until the story unfolded. Apparently Jim and his brother, now named Jack, had been running loose for weeks. They had been fed by a woman named Tracy as well as the Mathews couple. All three had been trying to lure the second dog to safety since Jim’s accident. Their perseverance had finally paid off. But when the elusive Jack had finally allowed Tracy to touch him, the frightened and skinny dog was trembling. His tail was tucked underneath his belly as though he had never felt a kind human touch before, and it had nearly broken everyone’s hearts. Could Anna do something to help Jack too?
The FaceBook page showed 18-month old Jack, scrawny, fearful and hunched over as if trying to draw himself inwards for safety.
The FaceBook page showed 18-month old Jack, scrawny, fearful and hunched over as if trying to draw himself inwards for safety.
Jack was frozen in fear at the shelter. Photo from Pet Friends of Duplin County Facebook page.
Once Patricia assured Anna that a friend of hers, schoolteacher Kristen Nicole Fowler, was prepared to foster Jack, Anna texted Marc Ehrenberg who generously offered to pay for all of Jack’s medical expenses. She then called the shelter to pull the thin and withdrawn dog, to the great relief of Bobbie Kennedy, who whooped with joy on the phone. Elaine Scott from Pet Friends of Duplin County drove him to the vet.
Soon after, Anna received a call from Kristen, Jack’s promised foster in North Carolina. She was eager to meet Jack, and told Anna that Patricia, who had initially helped Jim with her husband, would stop by at lunchtime on Kristen’s workdays and let Jack out to potty. Kristen also committed herself to working with Jack every night to help him overcome his shyness. Brother Jim, however, was outgoing and happy; he thrived in his foster home with the Marleys and continued to recover from his accident.
Soon after, Anna received a call from Kristen, Jack’s promised foster in North Carolina. She was eager to meet Jack, and told Anna that Patricia, who had initially helped Jim with her husband, would stop by at lunchtime on Kristen’s workdays and let Jack out to potty. Kristen also committed herself to working with Jack every night to help him overcome his shyness. Brother Jim, however, was outgoing and happy; he thrived in his foster home with the Marleys and continued to recover from his accident.
Jack was quiet and shy in his NC foster home. Photo from Kristin Fowler.
It took three weeks to complete the vetting process for Jim and Jack, and for independent transport coordinator Melanie Hendricks to arrange both dogs’ travel plans. On transport day, Kristin Fowler drove Jack while Kathy Fowler (unrelated), drove Jim to the pre-arranged meeting place.
Jim gained weight and continued to recover in his foster home. Photo from Thomas Marley.
Then, with the money Anna had raised for their journey, Al & Cena’s Transport placed the reunited brothers in adjoining crates inside a van and drove them from North Carolina to Wisconsin.
Jack’s foster and transporter Kristen Fowler was so happy to see the brothers reunite.
They arrived the last Saturday of March. The next day, Becca adopted Jim from Diamond Dogs Rescue and changed his name to Charley.
Jim at Diamond Dogs Rescue with Penny, daughter of Kimberly Schweigert, rescue co-founder.
Outgoing and confident, he adjusted immediately to her home and quickly made friends with his new doggy sister, also named Penny, a senior rat terrier.
Becca and Charley (Jim) at adoption.
Much to Anna’s surprise, Becca turned out to live only two blocks from Anna and Terry! The coonhound brothers had remained neighbors halfway across the country!
Further complicating the plot, Becca found romance through her new hound. When Becca had posted on FaceBook that she was adopting a coonhound from North Carolina, a friend of a friend, Sean, read it. As a dog lover himself, Sean thought that a woman who would adopt a dog sight unseen from so far away was a woman with HEART! He knew then that he had to meet her and promptly messaged her. They met in person shortly after Jim, now Charley, arrived. Not only does Sean love Charley, but Charley also loves Sean, and he and Becca have been dating ever since.
In the meantime, Anna and her husband, Terry, began fostering Jack, who was not as quick to adjust. When Jack first arrived at their home, Anna or Terry had to carry him everywhere since he was too frightened to walk. It appeared that he hadn’t spent much time in a house before his capture. He would “tip toe” a little bit, but that was all. It took a week for him to gain enough confidence to walk through the hall and kitchen in order to get outside.
Further complicating the plot, Becca found romance through her new hound. When Becca had posted on FaceBook that she was adopting a coonhound from North Carolina, a friend of a friend, Sean, read it. As a dog lover himself, Sean thought that a woman who would adopt a dog sight unseen from so far away was a woman with HEART! He knew then that he had to meet her and promptly messaged her. They met in person shortly after Jim, now Charley, arrived. Not only does Sean love Charley, but Charley also loves Sean, and he and Becca have been dating ever since.
In the meantime, Anna and her husband, Terry, began fostering Jack, who was not as quick to adjust. When Jack first arrived at their home, Anna or Terry had to carry him everywhere since he was too frightened to walk. It appeared that he hadn’t spent much time in a house before his capture. He would “tip toe” a little bit, but that was all. It took a week for him to gain enough confidence to walk through the hall and kitchen in order to get outside.
Jack and Charley (Jim) at Becca’s house in late March. That afternoon play date made a big difference in Jack’s confidence. The brothers romped and galloped around the house and finally Jack started to relax indoors.
In April, Becca had knee surgery, and during the first week of her recovery, Charley lived with Anna and Terry, their two resident dogs, Belle and Maddax, and, of course, his beloved brother Jack. What a hound party!
Charley is always ready for some play time at Jack’s house!
Several months later, though, there was a hitch. On a Sunday in June, Anna and friend Karen Lee took Jack for a walk along a dike beside the Mississippi River. As they approached a spillway, Jack panicked at the noise of the rushing water, and although he was leashed and wearing his Batman harness, he pulled backward out of his harness and escaped, dashing into the woods and failing to answer Anna’s frantic calls.
Jack’s Batman harness, a gift from foster Kristin Fowler, had loosened during wear and he backed out of it. Lesson learned!
After several fruitless hours of looking for him, the search party expanded to include Anna’s husband, her visiting cousin Chris Stiehm and their friend, Bob Maier, who set up Jack’s crate, his blankets and some food and treats near the spot where he had disappeared.
No Jack.
No Jack.
With encouragement from friend Matt Sheehy, Anna then enlisted The Retrievers, a non-profit group in Minneapolis devoted to finding lost dogs, as well as the Humane Society that “owned” Jack (she always transfers her rescues to a regional shelter or rescue). The happy result was a larger live trap expertly set up with guidance from Mary McCarthy, a caseworker from The Retrievers.
Over the next few days, a trail cam borrowed from a friend of Matt’s showed Jack visiting the trap at night, eating and staying close to his blankets for several hours before disappearing again. But he wouldn’t enter the trap. Heartened by his appearances, Anna contacted Becca who brought Charley to the site in the hopes of luring his brother out. Friend Britney Ziemetz joined Anna another night and they searched for hours, calling as they waded through swampy grass. Every morning and evening, teams would search for Jack with waning confidence.
Over the next few days, a trail cam borrowed from a friend of Matt’s showed Jack visiting the trap at night, eating and staying close to his blankets for several hours before disappearing again. But he wouldn’t enter the trap. Heartened by his appearances, Anna contacted Becca who brought Charley to the site in the hopes of luring his brother out. Friend Britney Ziemetz joined Anna another night and they searched for hours, calling as they waded through swampy grass. Every morning and evening, teams would search for Jack with waning confidence.
Matt Sheehy and friend helped set the live trap, loaned by Coulee Region Humane Society and delivered by foster coordinator Arika Arndt. The blankets and sheets came from home and kept him coming back, along with his dog food refilled twice daily.
This trailcam image shows Batman approaching the trap. He stayed for hours every night, probably comforted by the familiar scents of his blankets and his dog food, and hundreds of images were captured. But he would not enter the trap.
Anna’s devoted friend Karen, who lived nearby, visited the trap every two hours while it was light outside, using her bicycle. Her commitment finally paid off when she spotted Jack some distance from the trap! But he heard her bicycle squeak when she braked and he raced back into the woods. Terry and Bob promptly responded by moving both the trap and the trail cam to a narrow, wooded trail not far from where Jack had been seen, as Mary had advised Anna.
But still no Jack.
On Thursday night, with storms forecast for Friday, a desperate and determined Anna, joined by friends Karen, Matt, Britney, and Becca with coonhound Charley, set up camp near the live trap. With guidance from Mary, Britney grilled hamburgers and crumbled the meat over the nearby trails and they walked Charley around the area to entice Jack to safety with his brother’s scent. Then Anna and Charley lay side by side, restless and uneasy, on her sleeping bag all night … listening.
When the morning light arrived with no sign of Jack, a discouraged Anna put the camping gear back in the car, then returned to the dike with Charley who seemed eager to go for a walk. He walked ahead of her on a 20-foot leash, and she followed where he led along a wooded trail.
As she rounded a shady bend, her heart stopped. Twenty feet away stood two dogs: Batman Jack was happily greeting his brother! Scarcely daring to breathe, she called softly to him and he came towards her, wagging his tail. With shaking hands and pounding heart, she took hold of his collar, wrapped one end of the long leash around it and led them back to the trap where she finally attached a leash to him. Then she and the two brothers walked down the spillway dike to her car and drove home.
But still no Jack.
On Thursday night, with storms forecast for Friday, a desperate and determined Anna, joined by friends Karen, Matt, Britney, and Becca with coonhound Charley, set up camp near the live trap. With guidance from Mary, Britney grilled hamburgers and crumbled the meat over the nearby trails and they walked Charley around the area to entice Jack to safety with his brother’s scent. Then Anna and Charley lay side by side, restless and uneasy, on her sleeping bag all night … listening.
When the morning light arrived with no sign of Jack, a discouraged Anna put the camping gear back in the car, then returned to the dike with Charley who seemed eager to go for a walk. He walked ahead of her on a 20-foot leash, and she followed where he led along a wooded trail.
As she rounded a shady bend, her heart stopped. Twenty feet away stood two dogs: Batman Jack was happily greeting his brother! Scarcely daring to breathe, she called softly to him and he came towards her, wagging his tail. With shaking hands and pounding heart, she took hold of his collar, wrapped one end of the long leash around it and led them back to the trap where she finally attached a leash to him. Then she and the two brothers walked down the spillway dike to her car and drove home.
Anna was shaking all over from stress relief and this is the best picture available.
After searching the woods for days, despite precautions, both Karen and Anna got head-to-toe poison ivy! The habitat of the island is perfect for the pesky plant and it grows with vigor everywhere, winding up tree trunks and shrubs and surrounding trails forming huge leafy bowers. The friends shared advice and remedies as rashes erupted and crusted over.
After his week AWOL, Anna and Terry were even fonder of Jack, but he had a persistent case of hookworms. Anna was only fostering Jack for Coulee Region Humane Society until he could be given a clean bill of health and cleared for adoption to a forever home. Six treatments later, in August, when the hookworms were finally gone, Anna and Terry decided they needed to keep him, and signed his adoption papers, officially renaming him “Batman Jack.”
After his week AWOL, Anna and Terry were even fonder of Jack, but he had a persistent case of hookworms. Anna was only fostering Jack for Coulee Region Humane Society until he could be given a clean bill of health and cleared for adoption to a forever home. Six treatments later, in August, when the hookworms were finally gone, Anna and Terry decided they needed to keep him, and signed his adoption papers, officially renaming him “Batman Jack.”
Anna and Terry were elated to adopt Batman Jack at last.
And so, these two coonhound brothers, who had traveled so far to find home, now live two blocks apart and enjoy frequent joyous play dates together!
Enjoying a September play date, Batman Jack, left, and Charley are smiling at Becca.
A note about the story:
Because of the broad sweep of rescue, from helping a stray or abused dog to living in a loving home, the many volunteers who help a dog or cat along their journey often don't hear about the start or the end of the rescue story. For Jim and Jack, we do know the entire rescue story. We've attempted to include all of the volunteers and offer apologies if we have missed someone. The blog post writers are also a team of volunteers.
Jim and Jack, now Charley and Batman Jack, are probably American Foxhounds. Our team has just launched a new Facebook group, "Life with My Rescued Foxhound," and we invite you to visit and join. We will be sharing more about the brothers and we hope many adopters of foxhounds and mixes will share their stories too. Foxhounds are often confused with other hound breeds and deserve more focus and attention from hound lovers.
Because of the broad sweep of rescue, from helping a stray or abused dog to living in a loving home, the many volunteers who help a dog or cat along their journey often don't hear about the start or the end of the rescue story. For Jim and Jack, we do know the entire rescue story. We've attempted to include all of the volunteers and offer apologies if we have missed someone. The blog post writers are also a team of volunteers.
Jim and Jack, now Charley and Batman Jack, are probably American Foxhounds. Our team has just launched a new Facebook group, "Life with My Rescued Foxhound," and we invite you to visit and join. We will be sharing more about the brothers and we hope many adopters of foxhounds and mixes will share their stories too. Foxhounds are often confused with other hound breeds and deserve more focus and attention from hound lovers.
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