It was a typical Wednesday afternoon when Mary Kate Roy’s son let out the family dogs for their usual business, but things took a “ruff” turn when Pearl, the 7 year old Pomeranian, took off. 

Pearl may have only joined the Roy family a few weeks ago, but she holds a lot of sentimental value for them. 

“She was my mother-in-law’s baby,” Mary said, explaining that when she died back in November and her father-in-law moved out, Pearl joined them at the home over at Songbird Acres.

A sweet, but skittish dog, who is often too afraid to even take on the stairs — it was a shock to have seen her run off from her son, she said.

The Roy family got to work immediately — posting to Facebook groups, hanging flyers, contacting lost dog organizations and searching on foot. 

“It was really a community effort to find her,” Mary said.

With the help of neighbors, they looked up and down the surrounding streets, but were seemingly having no luck. 

Sam Aromin, of Hawkeye Aerial Systems, joined the team, using his drone technology, which has features that can detect heat and track prints.

“He was with us until almost 1 a.m.” noted Mary’s husband, Jacob Roy. Though they were unable to spot her that night, Aromin didn’t give up and joined them again the following morning. 

Meanwhile, John Hay had just come down to Westport to join a friend for some coyote hunting when he spotted something in the brush.

Hay said, “I was walking back with him and I looked up and saw that little dog laying down in some pines in the sun.” 

Noticing that she was well taken care of, Hay said they knew she had to be someone’s dog. Unfortunately, Pearl was too nervous to approach the hunters, even after some enticing. 

The hunters would spot her a few more times before finally winning over her trust and nabbing her. 

Hay explained he was on the phone with his wife, telling her about the little dog, when he saw her hiding by the gate to the solar field nearby.

After a while, Pearl went from scared and nervous to hopping up and down, showing a bit of excitement. She would soon crawl out from under the gate and approach the hunters truck before belly crawling nervously to Hay.

“She was shivering and that’s when I grabbed her,” he said, adding how he hopped into the warm truck to get her out of the cold.

His friend gave the property owner a call, but they hadn’t heard anything about the missing pup. Giving another friend a call, the hunters learned of the Facebook postings and got Mary’s contact information.

Making the seven minute drive from Highland Avenue, the hunters didn’t even make it the Roy home when they spotted a small crowd waving them down. 

“It was a very good day,” Hay said.

Reuniting with Pearl, Mary said, “I cried. These people probably thought I was so crazy. I was hysterical.”

One of the neighbors, who works at her youngest kids’ school, was able to grab a picture of the reunion to show the “devastated” 5 and 6 year olds that their little dog was home safe.

“It was so surreal,” Mary said. Pearl had been missing for almost 20 hours before she was found. 

“If it wasn’t for those guys, I don’t think she would have survived — it was so cold,” Jacob said. “We didn’t even sleep that night.”

Mary said, “We really thank the community — our neighbors and this neighborhood we live in.”

“If it wasn’t for the shares on Facebook, nobody would have had my number. It’s amazing what one share can do,” she added. “It’s just so amazing that some people who were looking really truly cared and helped.”