AUBURN — Think winter has been rough? Try living in the woods for six weeks, enduring blizzards and biting cold and eating out of garbage bags.

It happened to a yellow Labrador retriever that was finally trapped by an animal control officer Tuesday morning and brought in from the cold.

Since the start of the new year, Wendell Strout had been trying to catch the dog after neighbors along South Main Street reported it was prowling the streets.

“He was combing the neighborhood at around 4:30 in the morning, looking for trash,” Strout said. “He was literally dragging trash bags down the street and eating whatever he could.”

Strout caught sight of the animal a couple of weeks ago, but the dog turned and ran. The last Strout saw of the Lab was its hindquarters headed to the woods.

The heat was on, so the dog relocated.

“He moved to the woods behind the trailer park on Washington Avenue,” Strout said. “He had to cross the river to get there.”

The hunt went on. Strout responded to reported sightings of the hobo dog, but could never catch up with it. Finally, he set up a humane trap and waited.

And waited and waited.

Finally, early Tuesday morning, Strout got the call. The dog had been trapped. A man who lives in the area took the animal home to wait for Strout.

“When I got there,” Strout said, “the dog was up on the guy’s couch. This is a real good dog. He drove all the way back with me in the front seat. He was like, ‘Hey man. It’s warm in here. I’m good to go.'”

On Wednesday, the Lab was at the Greater Androscoggin Humane Society in Lewiston, savoring the warmth and sucking up three squares a day. Strout said the Lab is about 2 years old and his time in the wild hasn’t permanently changed him.

“They can go feral when they’re out that long,” Strout said. “But they come back real fast.”

The dog was wearing a rose-colored collar but no tags, Strout said. He and shelter officials were browsing a list of missing dogs in search of the owner. 

For a time during his foray, the dog lived under a camper, Strout said. He would drag the trash bags there and eat up while waiting for the next round of bad weather.

As animal control officer, Strout’s job was to catch the animal. He did that, but not without developing a sense of admiration for a dog that lasted so long in the extremes.

“He did what he had to do to live,” Strout said. “He survived some pretty harsh weather, including all those snowstorms and the bitter cold. You’ve got to admire that. This is a very smart dog.”

mlaflamme@sunjournal.com

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