The Vanishing Act
“Where is he? He couldn’t wander off that far on his own? Oh, this pup is too weak to play such games! Where could this little Beagle go?” After searching her entire house, even making the other dogs help her, foster mom, Lindsay, finally found River, the missing Beagle. Even she couldn’t believe where River was hiding! He was right there before her the whole time. Let’s check out River’s special hiding place and see if you could spot this master of camouflage!
A Helping Hand
Lindsay Lenz is a brave woman from Higbee, Missouri, who runs a lovely farm called Just One More. There, in her sanctuary, Lindsay takes in all kinds of animals – injured, rejected, or orphaned, including dogs. When she heard there was a major rescue operation done by the Moberly Animal Shelter, from Moberly, Missouri, she knew she had to lend a helping hand. So many Beagles were rescued from a dog hoarder, but only one of them needed help. All the rescued dogs were fine, except for River. The tiny puppy needed extra TLC, and Lindsay was the one to offer all her love.
A Fragile Beginning
“Weighing only 2 pounds at the age of 7 weeks, River was too weak for his own good. But, what wasn’t weak was River’s spirit. It took only a couple of days for River to bounce back on his feet. He got energy, he got much-needed strength, and he got so much will to play around. His transformation was incredible and Lindsay’s mind was blown! The only thing she worried about now was if River got lost on the farm since he was so tiny.
A Startling Discovery
Unfortunately, the worst happened. River got lost! At first, she wasn’t too worried because she already had puppies disappear on her, taking naps all over the house in the strangest places. Still, when she couldn’t locate River some 15 minutes after realizing he was gone, Lindsay started panicking. She searched the house from top to bottom, but the smol pupper was nowhere to be found. In an act of desperation, Lindsay took out her camera, thinking she’d catch River on footage, and thus, would be easier to spot. And, that’s when it hit her!
Hidden in Plain Sight
“Tucked up asleep on top of the bin of dog toys,” Lenz said. “He was blended right in with all the stuffed animals … Initially, I was shocked, then laughed for a solid five minutes! I had LITERALLY walked past him at least a dozen times while searching. He was literally hidden in plain sight!” Poobie, one of Lindsay’s dogs, was next to him the entire time, but he didn’t sell out her buddy’s napping spot. River didn’t bother to feel guilty about hiding in such an obvious, yet such a tricky place. He gave Lindsay the side-eye as if he was saying: Geez, thanks for waking me up!
A Farewell
River came to Lindsay in July of 2022. Despite his tough condition, River was a fighter. He enjoyed living on the farm with Lindsay, but the basket of plushies became his favorite spot on the entire farm. Unfortunately, although both River and Lindsay fought so hard to recover the little one, River’s tiny body didn’t make it. His brief farm life ended about a month later after he arrived. Due to anemia complications from his coccidiosis, River crossed the river, over the rainbow bridge and onto much greener pastures. His brief, but sweet story will live with Lindsay and the rest of us forever.
