05/27/2026
47 Days, 2 States of Mind, and 1 Incredible Journey: Welcome Home, Cheddar! 🐾❤️
On April 9th, a sweet boy named Cheddar went missing from Brimfield, IL, sparking a grueling 47-day marathon to bring him safely home. After a couple of weeks of his owners working with another organization, they reached out and asked if we could take over the search. We were more than happy to step in and help.
The breakthrough started with a recent sighting. His owner, Jake, was out setting up a feeding station in a field where Cheddar had been spotted when the unthinkable happened—he saw Cheddar with his own eyes! Jake tried everything to lure him over, but Cheddar’s survival instincts were on high alert, and he bolted into the dense woods instead.
Knowing we needed proper support, we called in Dan from Shadow Hound Drone Services to search the canopy with his drone. Dan didn't hesitate to oblige, and within minutes of launching, he located Cheddar lying down deep in the timber.
Hoping to break him out of survival mode, we brought in his absolute favorite person, Kate, along with his canine brother, Angus. We positioned them upwind, hoping the familiar scents and barks would draw him out.
Unfortunately, fear held a tight grip on Cheddar, and it didn't work. We quickly pivoted, setting two traps in different directions before pulling out of the area to give him space.
Cheddar didn't return to that area. Days passed with agonizing silence until we were alerted that he had traveled a few miles west. For days, we played high-stakes chess with a ghost—moving feeding stations along creeks and train tracks where we could get property owner permission, tracking his path, but failing to get him to show on camera.
Then came Memorial Day, May 25th. We received Ring camera footage that blew our minds: Cheddar had traveled a staggering 17 miles east of his last sighting in just five days. He was moving fast, and he was on a mission.
Jake immediately mobilized, moving signs and feeding stations to the new area. The very next day, another Ring camera captured Cheddar traveling the exact same path. For the first time in 47 days, we had the holy grail of pet recovery: patterned behavior. He had visited the same place twice in two days.
Soon after, a neighbor across the street sent in Ring footage showing Cheddar on their property, too. We knew this was our shot, and we weren't taking any chances. We deployed two different setups: a standard box trap at one house, and a Missy trap at the other.
That night, we waited on pins and needles, staring at our phones for camera alerts. Sure enough, the notification dinged. Cheddar had arrived at the Missy trap!
He didn't hesitate. He quickly scarfed down the safety bait on the outside, stepped into the trap to get the rest, and tripped the sensor. The door snapped shut. Secured.
Jake was on the scene in a flash. He was able to safely enter the enclosure, get a slip lead over Cheddar, and get him loaded into the truck. The nightmare was finally over.
Back home, Cheddar was showered with an incredibly emotional welcome from his family, who had missed him desperately for nearly seven weeks. The following day, he visited the vet for a thorough checkup. Aside from needing to put some weight back on, we are thrilled to report that Cheddar is healthy, safe, and going to be completely okay.
47 days on the run is an eternity for a lost dog, but Cheddar proved just how resilient he is.
Thank you to Jake and Kate for never giving up, to Dan with Shadow Hounds for his rapid drone deployment, and to every single community member who checked their Ring cameras and called in sightings. It truly takes a village!
Welcome home, Cheddar! 🧀❤️ Truck rides and soft beds from here on out!
If you would like to donate to our efforts then check out our donation links and/or message us! We couldn’t do what we do without support from the community and we will NEVER charge a fee to help a lost pet!
