How's the Recovered Dog Formerly Known as Ellie Doing?

A rescued Labrador mix that was missing in Farmington for about 68 days is now with a new family in Agawam, Massachusetts and reunited with her sister, according to the people who helped find her.

"After Sassy was caught everyone was so happy, all I could think of was Ellie is still out there, so I kept saying, 'Don't forget Ellie, don't forget Ellie,'" said Kellie Hill Failla, a former member of Dog Gone Recovery who is now independently leading a search for missing Avon Yorkshire terrier Zoey. "Soon after the Ellie search began."

Ellie got loose in Farmington after she was startled by a passing truck while on a walk with a dog sitter in February. She had been with the Farmington family for three and a half weeks at that point. Dog Gone Recovery, a group of local dog lovers that helped find runaway rescue dog Sassy in Farmington, formed a search party. 

Dog Gone Recovery found her in a trap they set up on April 29 after plastering the region with missing dog signs and keeping track of local sightings. 

"Unfortunately Ellie rarely came out during the day," Dog Gone Recovery volunteer Donna Denehy wrote in an email to Patch. "When she made her way in to Plainville we decided to set up a camera and a feeding station to see if we could get her to stay there and she did. Within three days she was eating from us nightly!"

The night before catching her, the group bought 99 Restaurant's steak tips, McDonald's Chicken McNuggets, bagels and peanut butter for the trap, but Ellie did not take the bait. The following day, the group put wet and dry dog food in the trap, chicken, chicken broth and barbecue sauce, resuming its "old feeding recipe," Denehy said. They also put "peanut butter on the trigger plate in the trap, thinking when she went down to lick it would trigger," which she said was successful.   

"She was smart enough to not trip that plate for many many nights, we needed her to just make one little mistake and she finally did!" Denehy said. "When we got there she was scared, but just laying in the trap looking at us, it was an amazing night.  On the way to my garage which is where we were keeping her until we could get her to the vet the next morning, she sat at the end of the cage so Michelle Daigle could pet her on the way.  I think when we finally had her, she was thankful too!"

Dog Gone Recovery worked with the family that adopted Ellie's sister, Emmy on the search, bringing her to the area in hope that Ellie might recognize her Tennessee littermate. After Ellie was found, the family offered to adopt her so she could be with her sister and Ellie's Farmington family agreed to it. Ellie's new family has since renamed her Penny. 

"She is doing fabulous!" Denehy said. 

Denehy said that she was amazed at "how loving this dog was after 68 days on the run."

"The night we caught her we all have gloves ready and other things to protect ourselves, all she wanted to do was sit on our laps," Denehy said. "She is a beautiful, wonderful dog and we all still miss her!"

Ellie, now Penny, will make an appearance at a June 8 fundraiser for Dog Gone Recovery to cover its expenses to become a non-profit. The event will be at Best Friends Pet Care in Avon on Harris Road.