From lost hope to joyful reunion

Jan. 21 was a beautiful Sunday morning, mild compared with past weeks.

Yet, with a heavy heart, Pete Wham put his boat in at Lewes boat ramp, having asked on social media whether anyone wanted to join him.

Wham's dog, Nestle, had been missing on the marsh for a week, through days and nights of bitter cold. Wham's photo of her on social media was shared nearly 800 times, drawing hundreds of responses.

But by Jan. 17, despite 15,000 shares online, there was no trace of Nestle.

Wham posted flyers, blanketing stores and the post office. His vehicle became a mobile billboard, listing his phone number in case someone saw her. Her story was so widespread that when he mentioned to a store clerk he'd been out looking for his dog, she asked, "It's not Nestle, is it?"

Even a drone flying over the marsh found no trace of her.

Which is how Wham found himself on a clear, quiet morning, launching his boat. A couple of friends joined him for what he called a lost hope run.

He took the boat up a feeder ditch he had not searched earlier. A friend, using binoculars, suddenly caught sight of a dog, and the jubilant trio began calling her.

Nestle came running.

After a week in the wild, she's now home safe, found only about 300 yards from Wham's duck blind.

Wham says she already has an appointment to get a chip to locate her should she go missing again, and she's getting a GPS collar before she goes hunting.

"She seems to be fine, just skinny after eight days in the marsh," Wham said.

Most of all Wham offered a huge thank you to the hundreds of friends and supporters who never gave up, including the two who went with him on the marsh.

He also thanks the entire community for sharing Nestle's story and helping bring her home, one more reminder how lucky we are to live in a community that cares.