MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) – Rotisserie chicken, bacon, dog toys, more than a dozen volunteers and even a psychic have not been enough to find Murphy, an elusive golden retriever whose owner’s five-month search for the beloved animal has captivated one mountainous area of Vermont.
Neighbors have pulled together to try to find Murphy since he was spooked by a car accident and ran off June 29, going door-to-door with posters, looking for tracks and setting out food and traps.
He’s been spotted numerous times, in backyards and on trail cameras in Waterbury Center, about 8 miles from the crash. But any time someone gets close, the 3-year-old cagey canine darts off.
“I definitely think he’s still in the fight-or-flight mode because he seems to run from everybody,” said his owner, 24-year-old Kirstin Campbell, of Morrisville.
Campbell had Murphy with her when her vehicle went off the road and hit a tree in Stowe. She let the dog out after the crash and he ran away, traumatized. He was seen around the resort town in the summer but ended up venturing south to Waterbury Center, apparently along the one main road between the towns.