Sadie’s 14-Day Thanksgiving Odyssey: The Great Burnese Mountain Dog Escape

The day before Thanksgiving, Sadie came up from Oklahoma with her family… and immediately decided Kansas was her new homeland. The car door opened, she bolted, and that was that. The chase ensued, but Sadie had already entered her “Witness Protection Program” era.

At first, she bounced around. We had a couple sightings here and there… And then? Nothing. No sightings. No prints. No movement. Just Sadie ghosting the entire state of Kansas.

Then, the Sunday before last, a trucker spotted a very large dog laying against the fence near 42nd & Burlingame Rd and snapped a confirmed photo. Another passerby thought she might be injured, so he approached — and Sadie, being Sadie, immediately turned into a furry torpedo and bolted again. She treated fences and barriers like Olympic hurdles, clearing them with ease like a gold medal winner.

We deployed everyone — us, city and county Animal Control, KTA, Turnpike troopers — the whole cavalry. We searched high, low, and diagonally, and she still evaded us like a woodland ninja with a scheduler full of other plans.

And then…

Five days of absolutely nothing.

Five days of nothing, despite searches for miles every day.

On Saturday, we got a report of a “Burnese Mountain Dog” near Mission & Gage, so we all deployed AGAIN. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t Sadie. Hundreds of acres were searched. A smaller dog matching the vague description popped up in that neighborhood two days later and went to the shelter. So we packed up our search gear and went right back to zero.

But Sunday — THIS past Sunday — was the breakthrough. Someone driving to Lawrence posted that she’d seen a very large dog on the Turnpike between Topeka Blvd & Adams. That lined up perfectly with where we suspected Sadie had hidden during those five silent days.

Amy went out, and sure enough — there was Sadie, sleeping on the side of the turnpike like she’d paid for a premium roadside nap package. Amy stepped out of her car (without approaching), and Sadie did her signature move: bolt again. Amy went back to the West on the interstate and set the first trap. Bob went to the sighting area, spotted Sadie in his passenger side mirror about 150 yards behind him to the West, and dropped the second trap. We now knew that we had cameras and traps both East and West of her. We then regrouped in the park off the highway on Adams hoping hunger would win her over and she would approach one of the traps. Bob launched the drone and located her exactly where we thought she was. We hoped she would eat overnight, but “No ma’am.” She visited the area once, turned around, and disappeared again.

By Monday, it was clear she hadn’t moved from this new location. Bob monitored her with the drone while Amy crept up and placed a new food bowl and camera closer to her safe spot, since Sadie had made no attempt to go down to either trap area. She barely left that location at all through Monday, and we started to worry she might actually be injured. We began planning our rescue for an injured Sadie to happen on Tuesday and arranged for her mom and best pup friend to come make the approach. Her mom Ava and dog sister Bella were already planning to come up Tuesday to help lure her out, since Sadie had made it abundantly clear she wasn’t doing traps, food, drones, humans, or… well, anything.

Everything changed today when someone inadvertently approached her and spooked her, causing her to dart back toward the trap area. She stayed there only briefly before being pushed again — a lucky break for us, since that part of the terrain was much more accessible. Bob put the drone up once more to confirm her exact location before sending Ada and her dog sister Bella in while we all strategically surrounded the area.

Before everyone got to the location, Amy attempted to see if she could get close to her. Amy approached her slowly, talking softly, and tossing treats. She got within five feet of Sadie — who was basically breathing her air — and Sadie STILL said, “No thank you,” and calmly walked away instead of bolting. Progress, but also very Sadie-coded behavior.

Amy was alone, so she went into full Stake-Out Mode to make sure Sadie didn’t relocate herself before the team arrived.

Once everyone was there — mom Ada, dog sister Bella, aunt Becky, Amy’s husband Mark, Bob, and Amy — we formed a plan. Ada and Bella would go in first while the rest of us surrounded the woods to keep Sadie contained, giving her familiar faces and safe choices.

At first she moved away…

But then she heard her mom’s quiet voice.

And then she saw Bella.

And then — the moment we’d waited 14 days for — Sadie turned around and went back to her mom.

Bob climbed through the brush to help Ada leash Sadie and maintain control of Bella — which almost became another catastrophe when Bella slipped her harness and started frantically running around. Thankfully everyone kept their cool, and we were able to get both girls safe and secured.

Watching her finally choose her family over fear?

Absolutely incredible.

We cannot thank everyone enough —

❤️ The people who reported sightings

❤️ Those who searched

❤️ City Animal Control

❤️ County Animal Control

❤️ KTA

❤️ Kansas Turnpike troopers

❤️ Everyone who sent a prayer, good wish, or “go home Sadie!” message

Your kindness helped bring this girl home.

After 14 days, miles of wandering, traps ignored, drones deployed, false sightings, snowstorms, stealth mode, roadside naps, and one very determined group of humans…

Sadie is finally safe.