Caspar proved to be a friendly albeit elusive ghost, by the time he collapsed in exhaustion after outrunning a team of 11 locals who were guided for almost a week by dozens of sightings posted on Facebook.
Before coming to Nathalia, Caspar was a rescue dog after being found among a hoard of pets in a Queensland house, and was taken into the care of All 4 Paws dog rescue in Melbourne.
Dog rescue services typically place a newcomer into the care of a foster home for several weeks before a permanent owner takes over and hopefully the newcomer settles in.
Caspar lasted two hours.
According to All 4 Paws, newly arrived dogs need to be well-contained in a yard, must wear their collar permanently and be held on a lead for its ‘convenience breaks’ during the first two weeks.
After the artful Caspar had escaped, Nathalia came alive to a plethora of sightings and numerous volunteers, one of whom stayed up all night on the lookout.
Caspar’s former foster carer Melissa Bult made three separate trips from Melbourne to join in the hunt, but Caspar made no response to any calls and kept evading capture.
His name in Queensland was never Caspar.
According to Ms Bult, the requirements for success with a rescue dog are quite clear.
“When you want to adopt a dog, you need to follow the advice of the carers and keep the dog safe,” Ms Bult said.
A cunning plan was hatched on day six, with the suggestion made to simply exhaust the dog by chasing it for an entire day on a quad bike.
The plan worked, but Caspar has not been reunited with his new owners.
He has been returned to All 4 Paws and awaits a new home.
