A golden Labrador Retriever known as Kota Bean is famous in her household for being a remarkably skilled escape artist.
Not only was she able to break free from a compromised electric fence following a storm in Macon, Georgia, but she also managed to elude every other obstacle that restrained her.
Nonetheless, her latest escape was unlike any other.
Escape Artist
Kellie Deck Tuten posted on her Facebook, detailing how, despite their best efforts, they could never manage to keep Kota contained.
“We have gone through numerous crates, kennels, cages, and all kinds of methods to restrain her during the few hours we needed her confined,” Kellie wrote.
Fortunately, whenever she would flee, she wouldn’t venture too far from home. Typically, her parents would locate her, and in instances when they wouldn’t, she would return by herself a few hours later.
However, during her latest escape, the daylight was fading and Kota was nowhere to be found.
The Tuten family quickly sprang into action and organized a search party. They were handing out flyers and reaching out to every animal shelter in Macon, desperately seeking information about their cherished dog.
The family exhausted all avenues they could conceive to reunite with their girl. However, as the year progressed without any sign of Kota, they began to lose hope.
Things were soon set to change.
A Very Familiar Face
While browsing the Bibb County Animal Shelter’s website, the family stumbled upon a very recognizable face.
They provided a general location in the description, and at that moment, I spotted her. I KNEW it was her.
Kellie recognized the area where Kota was last observed and chose to reach out to her friend who lived nearby.
Kellie’s friend confirmed that it was, in fact, Kota roaming the vicinity, and she kept Kellie informed each time she spotted her. Kellie would hurry to the last known location of Kota, yet Kota would vanish as soon as she arrived.
Despite the frustration, Kellie remained optimistic. She was contacted by another rescuer who had further details about Kota since her disappearance.
Lisa Wood … had been providing my dog with food twice daily, took in her (not one, but two litters of) puppies, and found loving homes for all of them.
Lisa mentioned that she had seen the pup recently but was unsure of where she was hiding her latest litter of puppies.
Lisa and Kellie teamed up with determination to locate both Kota’s puppies and bring her back to the place she belonged.
Rescue Mission
Even though they got close to Kota numerous times, they had no success in capturing her. Nevertheless, Lisa managed to slip a collar with a GPS tracker around her neck, enabling them to follow her to her concealed location.
However, upon reaching the site, they encountered another challenge.
Kota approached a drain pipe and sniffed around before retreating a few feet and lying down. We were fairly certain the puppies were inside, but we couldn’t see or hear them.
Requesting additional help, the group, along with Amy Beth Wall and Sean Wall, managed to cut into the tunnel, granting them better access to the little family.
After hours of digging, the rescue team successfully pulled four adorable puppies out of the drain pipe.
Despite the puppies being safe, the rescue operation was not complete. Kota remained missing, still too frightened to join them.
It wasn’t until the following night that we were finally able to coax Kota into the car with us and the puppies and bring her home.
The rescue effort was triumphant, and Kota, along with her little ones, was at long last home, safe and sound.
New Life
The puppies adjusted to their new environment quickly, yet Kota required some time to acclimatize.
She is slowly getting used to us. She shows less enthusiasm in coming inside, which is a significant contrast to her previous behavior. However, she comes over to welcome us when we sit in the backyard.
Though Kota appreciates receiving affection from her humans, she still requires time to recover from the harsh experiences outside her cozy home.
She doesn’t seem interested in her old toys or anything at all. It has been challenging for us as it appears she might be unhappy here, but I believe it’s more about her still being traumatized from fighting to find safety.
The Tuten family decided to be patient and let Kota adapt to her new environment at her own pace, with the hope that she would gradually regain her comfort.
At present, they are relieved that their Kota Bean is back where she is meant to be and thrilled to have four adorable puppies scampering about their yard, bringing happiness to all who encounter them.