Blair County family finds more than missing dog

BLAIR COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — A Blair County family went looking for a missing pet and on their three-week journey they found not only their dog but two more that they just couldn’t leave behind.

Tracey Snowberger, owner of Green Roof Acres in Hollidaysburg, faced a pet owner’s worst nightmare on July 5. She was on the phone with her son, she walked to the door to call back her three-year-old English Mastiff, Darcy. However, Darcy was nowhere to be found.

“I frantically started calling for her and she didn’t come,” Snowberger said. “I immediately hopped in my car and started searching. I think a firework went off, and she was by herself and I think that spooked her.”

Snowberger posted on Facebook asking folks around the county to find her dog. One initial post was shared over 150 times.

After talking with one woman over Facebook, Snowberger decided to put up a reward if Darcy got found. Not having enough funds to post one, the community stepped up yet again.

Renee Noel, owner of R&D Creations in Duncansville, Penn., offered to help Snowberger add an incentive to Darcy’s retrieval.

“She offered us $1,000 to put up for reward out of her own pocket,” Snowberger said. “I cannot believe the compassion from the community.”

Now with the reward, people continued their search for Darcy. As it entered the third week Snowberger lost hope. Until one phone call from a neighbor changed everything.

“Some people up on Reservoir Road who her the first morning that she was missing were in contact with me,” Snowberger said. “They called me and said they saw her in their yard.”

She decided to grab a blanket and her other English Mastiff and head straight to the location. After three hours of waiting, Darcy tiptoed her way out of the woods.

“At first she was a little skittish, sniffing our other Mastiff,” Snowberger said. “And I think once that connected that was Molly, she started wagging, and then Darcy heard my voice and came over. It was like licks and wags and everything.”

July 26 marked the day that the Snowberger family was made whole again. During the three-week span, Darcy lost around 15 pounds.

However, in the search for Darcy, Snowberger found something that she didn’t expect, but that she just couldn’t leave behind. During the search, she had help from the Pennsylvania Game Commission. They gave her access to the Seldom Seen State Game Land. There, she saw two dogs: a pug and a boxer.

“They were just so scared,” Snowberger said. “We threw them into the Jeep, and we called around to the Humane Society and Mending Hearts, and they posted their pictures. No one claimed them, so we adopted them.”

Instead of finding one dog, Snowberger found three. She felt sympathy for Sheldon the pug and Bailey the boxer after they were tossed away, hence their adoption.

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“They were lost, just like Darcy,” Snowberger said. “It was just the right thing to do. I believe someone threw them out. And for someone to throw out their dogs like that when I’m desperately looking 20 hours a day for my lost dog, it was just the right thing to do to bring them home.”

Tracey’s family grew eight paws over the span of three weeks, all while four paws were on the run.

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