On July 7, San Francisco animal control officers found themselves in an hours-long pursuit near Oracle Park that had them maneuvering through parked cars and across railroad tracks to retrieve Nieve, a white terrier mix. This past Friday, the very good doggo was reunited with her doting family.
San Francisco Animal Care & Control (SFACC) is no stranger to long-drawn-out, harrowing animal rescues. (The local government agency even garnered their own spot on A&E's Live Rescue series this past October.) That patience and prowess was put to the test earlier this month when on-site animal control officers spent over five hours chasing down a very confused, very scared — and very lost — dog near Oracle Park.
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In an epic Twitter thread, SFACC described how officers "raced to the scene" 4th Street and Townsend when reports came in of a "terrified dog" running about the area.
Nieve is safe after a 5-hour chase, thx for sharing, @nbcbayarea
— Muttville Senior Dog Rescue, San Francisco (@Muttville) July 25, 2021
A small, fluffy white senior dog has been rescued and reunited with her family, thanks to @SFACC and the detective work of a staffer @Muttville.
ACC received a call on July 7th about a small dog on the train tracks https://t.co/b6kYvQZBzc
"After barricading the dog behind a parked car, the four officers were able to catch the dog and return to the shelter," reads a tweet from SFAAC. "The dog – who turned out [to be a] senior female, stayed at the shelter waiting for an owner to come forward. Nobody came for her."
to be senior female, stayed at the shelter waiting for an owner to come forward. Nobody came for her. She was then transferred to @Muttville, one of Animal Care & Control’s adoption partners. The story picks up again there, as the dog’s journey home continues…
— Muttville Senior Dog Rescue, San Francisco (@Muttville) July 25, 2021
Thankfully, someone did come for Nieve eventually, thanks to the detective work and internet sleuthing of one Muttville staffer.
According to KPIX, Alice Ensor, an adoption counselor at Muttville, noticed that the dog looked familiar, which sent her sifting through social media for lost dog posts that went up around the time SFACC picked up the dog. Low and behold: The counselor found a lost-dog alert that had been posted around that time Nieve had either escaped or was stolen on July 6 when her owner, a Vallejo man named Carlos, was working in Mission Bay.
Just before the weekend, Nieve was reunited with her human family — freshly bathed and given a much-need grooming.
How did Nieve's journey end up?? Watch the #happy #reunion! Carlos & Nieve = together again! pic.twitter.com/453RitKJQQ
— Muttville Senior Dog Rescue, San Francisco (@Muttville) July 25, 2021
“It’s amazing someone didn’t take her home or she didn’t get hit by a car but most people have a good heart and someone must have said ‘Let’s call the shelter,'” Patty Stanton of Muttville said to the news outlet.
In light of recent reports of dognappings, news of Nieve's successful rescue and reunion is a welcomed change of pace.
Related: SF Animal Care & Control Now Featured on A&E's 'Live Rescue' Series
SF Woman Reunited With Dognapped Dog After Four Months
Top photo: Courtesy of Twitter via Mutville