NJ Missing Dog Found Safe After 32 Days on the Run

A dog who escaped from a boarding and training facility in Bernardsville has been safely located in Piscataway after spending 32 days on the run, according to the Buddha Dog Rescue & Recovery search team that helped track him.

Hardy escaped after slipping out of a newly fitted collar while at the facility, launching a search that continued across several communities.

Buddha Dog Rescue & Recovery said Hardy remained within roughly a two-mile radius of where he initially escaped for the first 11 days of the search.

Searchers said Hardy was spotted on camera at a feeding station just two days after they joined the search effort. They quickly worked to set up a trap, but a thunderstorm brought heavy rain, and Hardy never returned to the station.

As the search continued, sightings began popping up across a broader area, including Bernardsville, Millington, Dunellen and Piscataway.

According to Buddha Dog, Hardy appeared to travel along roads, railroad tracks, power lines, wooded areas, residential neighborhoods and connecting greenways.

Searchers said Hardy also seemed to find food at feral cat feeding stations, wildlife feeding locations and other food sources. This made the search more challenging as crews repeatedly relocated cameras and feeding stations from one community to another.

In the days leading up to his capture, Hardy was spotted several times in the Dunellen and Piscataway area.

The search team said mapping data identified a possible travel corridor running between homes in a neighborhood, and another sighting was later reported near the same location.

Two additional sightings were reported in the area, prompting searchers to establish a feeding station. Then, around 11 p.m., Hardy was captured on camera.

According to the search team, Hardy’s parents, Spencer and Emily, were instructed to drive to Blairstown to pick up a trap and bring it back to Piscataway.

Spencer retrieved the trap, returned to Piscataway and had it in place by approximately 2:30 a.m., Buddha Dog said.

At about 3:20 a.m. Sunday, Hardy entered the trap and was safely secured.

“HE WAS SAFE,” Buddha Dog announced.

The organization credited Hardy’s successful recovery to a team effort involving his parents, family members and residents of the communities where he had been spotted.

Although the straight-line distance between Bernardsville and Piscataway is roughly 15 miles, Buddha Dog said Hardy traveled much farther during his 32 days on the run as he doubled back and changed directions.

Buddha Dog Rescue and Recovery is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit animal rescue organization based in Blairstown. The organization specializes in safely capturing “trap-savvy” dogs that are reluctant to enter traditional traps.

More information is available at buddhadogrescueandrecovery.com.