The nice man that found her, Charles, tells us that he had never been mushroom picking in the place where he went when he found Lelo! It's an area that doesn't get a lot of traffic (only foot traffic is even possible), though Lelo's dad, Dan, had been to that area looking for her the day after she went missing. Charles wouldn't have seen her had she not been barking for his attention when he came into her view. Smart girl for calling out to him even though she was clearly as frightened of him as she was generally frightened. She may have been there as long as 24 hours when he found her.
Seeing how much help she needed to get calmed down, he sat with her for a time and talked to her before even attempted to untangle her from the thickets that trapped her right where she was. Once he did that -- and she still had her harness and leash! -- they went to the parking area. When they got there, he went up to the first person he saw and asked her if she knew if anyone was looking for a lost dog. The woman took one look at Lelo and said "Uh, yeah! She looks just like the dog pictured on that flier over there!"
Imagine how happy Mariana and Dan were to get the call, and how happy Lelo was to see them! By this afternoon, she was starting to return to her old self, after initially being a bit out of sorts when she got home.
Here are a few photos taken of Lelo and her family today -- one day after she returned home:
Thanks to everyone that helped, in any way, in the search for Lelo. It was appreciated more than you will ever know.
