The last thing the Edwards family expected when they visited family in Heber City two weeks ago was for their beloved dog to go missing.
But while the family watched the LDS General Conference together, their 4-year-old golden retriever, Sundance, slipped through a gap in the backyard fence. When the dog didn’t answer their calls, her owner Cory Edwards said they started to worry.
“Sundance is a really obedient dog,” he said. “It was really unusual when we began to whistle and call for her that she didn’t come running right back up, and that’s when we began to get worried.”
Sundance got lost on Oct. 1, and the family wasn’t reunited with their dog until 10 long days later. Edwards said that’s thanks to the help of dozens of compassionate neighbors and even a dog rescue expert.
“We had scores of people that reached out to us saying that they thought they had seen our dog,” he said.
Community members called or texted when they thought they had seen Sundance. After six days, a resident in Victory Ranch spotted the dog on security footage, almost 15 miles away from where she first got lost. It was another four days before the family succeeded in coaxing her back. Edwards said after a few days, lost dogs’ survival instincts kick in and they don’t trust humans calling their names.
But on day 10 of the search, the Edwards family responded to another Sundance sighting and met a Victory Ranch resident who had been out looking for the dog every morning and evening. They set off together, asking neighbors until they glimpsed a spot of white at the top of a barren hill. It was Sundance.
Edwards approached her slowly with her favorite toy and some chicken treats, calling her name.
“I just said, ‘Sundance, do you want to go home and get a treat? Do you want to go home and go for a walk?’” he said. “And it was so sweet. Her ears dropped from their curious, alarmed position. And then I see her tail start to wag, and she starts just running down the trail and… she just jumped right into my arms…. It was a pretty spectacular reunion.”
He said his children were overjoyed to have their dog home again and the whole family was crying with joy.
“It was like Christmas,” he said. “It was an unbelievably special day.”
Edwards, who grew up in Heber City, said he was full of gratitude to the communities across the valley who offered help, prayers and support.
“We felt like those communities rallied behind us in a time of need,” he said. “It’s one of those moments that restores your faith in humanity.”
Sundance is now back home in Utah County – resting, recovering and basking in the love of her relieved family.
