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Dog missing for 11 months returned home after dodging rescue efforts

A dog that went missing about 11 months ago has been found and returned safely to her owners - but not without a fight.

Chewy ran away from Dorothy McGuirk's home in Bolton on July 4, 2017 by escaping through a broken back door.

"My daughters and I went looking for her all over the neighborhood trying to find her, and we couldn't, she was gone," said McGuirk.

Even though the family searched for Chewy for months, she was already off their grid. They eventually put up a post with Chewy's description on the Missing Dogs Massachusetts Facebook page.

In November, however, a worker at a pizza shop in Marlborough, roughly ten miles away from the family's home in Bolton, spotted a dog that matched Chewy's description.

"They wanted us to come over, bring a picture and see if it was her - and sure enough it was her," said McGuirk.

However, the mission to get Chewy back home wasn't over.

For the next few months, volunteers with Missing Dogs Massachusetts tried and failed to trap Chewy. Even though their trapping efforts weren't wielding good results, the group managed to keep her alive through the harsh winter.

"We made sure she had food and water," said Karen Hovsepian, a volunteer with Missing Dogs Massachusetts.

Earlier this week, volunteers set up a new, remote-controlled drop net and were finally successful.

"I talked with the daughter and I said, 'we've got her' and she was just elated, she was just so happy," said Aimee Federico, a volunteer.

The family said they are very excited and happy to have Chewy back home with them.

"I call her the miracle dog because I think what she went through is quite a miracle," said McGuirk.