Kris and Chuck went out to the area where she had been spotted, but she had the advantage of a big empty lot, with a dense clump of trees at the back – her safety zone. She could run either way to avoid being caught. She had established a run path behind some of the businesses, including the daycare, but unfortunately that also included crossing a busy street. She had shown up on several video surveillance cameras in the neighborhoods in the area as well, foraging for food.

On one of Kris’s reconnaissance trips, she saw a large, wrought iron gated area that connected the back of the daycare play-yard to the 7’ wooden fence that separated the houses from the empty lot. It was a space that was perhaps 30-40 feet wide from the back of the daycare to the wooden fence, but more like 100-150 feet long (along the back of the play-yard). Normally both gates were kept open, which allowed this dog a direct path from the safety of her empty lot directly behind the daycare, across a busy street to an area with tall grass, and behind a strip mall with multiple businesses. After talking with the daycare manager that had been seeing the dog every morning sleeping in the same place, Kris and Chuck devised a plan to trap the dog before the daycare opened the next day.

At 5am the next morning, they began the quest to catch this scared dog. Before the dog could see them, they closed the gate on the far side of the daycare, to prevent her from fleeing across the busy road if she were spooked. The gate closest to her safe zone was left open with the hope she’d run in using her normal escape route. The plan was to coral her into that secured area and close the large gate behind her. Both gates would be closed, and she would be trapped, at which point they would wait her out. It was a great plan, IF she’d go in!

It was dark out with very few street lights in the area, which made this a difficult rescue. The gate trap was set, and she was located right where the daycare manager had indicated: asleep in front of the dumpster in the daycare parking lot. They parked their truck in the back of the parking lot and began walking from different angles in the parking lot toward her. They made sure not to look directly at her. She definitely noticed them! She lifted her head, sniffed the air, glanced back and forth from Kris to Chuck and casually got up, walked toward the safety of her empty lot and vanished into the darkness before they could get close to her. She was used to the area that she had been living in for at least two weeks, and they didn’t know her patterns other than the path she used behind the daycare. Just as Kris and Chuck were about to give up, Kris pointed to a dark shadow on the far fence – and it moved! She was standing, watching them from just outside the trap, so they began to run toward her from two directions to encourage her into the area (aka, the trap) behind the daycare.

It worked! She ran right in, and the heavy gate was closed. Kris, Chuck, and the dog were all inside, and she was frantic. She ran circles around the huge enclosure looking for an escape. She had a very deep, threatening bark that she would let out as she ran past them. It was apparent that she wasn’t ready to give up. It was still dark out and other than light from their cellphones, it was impossible to see where she was. They stood quietly, hoping she’d tire herself out, but that didn’t happen. After quite some time, she let out a yelp and the barking stopped. Where had she gone? Was the capture a failure?

Feeling defeated and wondering if she had gotten out through the closed gate somehow, they noticed a shadow in the daycare’s play yard! She had squeezed herself under the heavy wrought iron fence at a low spot causing her to yelp. Kris texted the daycare manager and informed him of what was transpiring before they made their way into the play-yard. The manager was watching the real-time updates Kris was texting to another rescuer that was then posting on the NextDoor app. The daycare manager was a fellow dog lover who wanted to make sure the dog was rescued safely and of course to keep the kids safe. He assured them that he’d keep the kids inside until the dog was caught. While they were discussing how best to coral her in the big play-yard, she found another low spot into the side yard of the daycare, a much smaller area, with nowhere to hide. This seemed like the best place they could have asked for to catch her!

Kris blocked the spot where she entered the yard, and she paced. Chuck moved to the other side of the yard, on the outside of the fence, and just sat quietly, offering water as she would pass by. She was not barking but was definitely distressed at her situation as she paced relentlessly. She stopped and drank briefly, but he made a slight movement, and she was on the move again. She circled the play-yard for several hours, looking for somewhere to evade capture. After the sun came up, Chuck moved back over to block the spot where the dog entered the side yard, and Kris moved more into the center of the grassy area. She sat quietly with no eye contact, just talking softly to the dog while holding pieces of hot dog. The dog was far too nervous to take food, and she was testing Kris’s reactions each time she passed by.

The kids had filled up the daycare by that time and were watching from the windows – not necessarily helpful! They were fascinated at watching the dog and pounding on the windows when she strolled by in her frantic, pacing routine. It made the process longer but ultimately, it didn’t matter.

After about 3 hours of sitting and waiting for her to give up, she finally moved close to Kris. She had been sitting, eyes lowered, getting updates from Chuck while the dog was inching toward her: “she’s right behind you. She’s sniffing your shoulder…” At that point, the dog was committed to giving up. She began sniffing Kris’s hair and eventually put her nose on Kris’s cheek! Yes, Kris was elated and terrified at the same time! However, it was a leap of faith, and she reached out to stroke the dog’s fur. She said the best way to describe it was that the dog felt like she was vibrating. Her entire body was trembling, but her demeanor was never aggressive. It was more like she was done trying to act tough; she literally just gave up. Her body language was entirely different than it was while she paced and looked for her escape route. She put her head in Kris’s hand and closed her eyes as she continued to shake. She was exhausted.

She walked nicely on the leash, hopped in the back of Kris’s truck and looked out the window at her old life and fell asleep. She slept soundly for the rest of that day and much of the next day until she went to the vet the next afternoon. Her story takes a weird turn after that. Kris took her to a vet where it was discovered she had a microchip. The vet’s office called the owner, who promptly told them they’d be there to pick her up asap. Kris was very happy to be able to reunite this very scared dog with her family. She stayed with her at the vet’s office, waiting for the owners, until the vet’s office was preparing to close for the day. The owner never showed up. They were called again, and the real story started to emerge.

Since the owner didn’t live close (a fact divulged in the second conversation), the vet’s office told the owner that Kris was going to take the dog home, and she would make arrangements with them to pick-up the dog. Kris talked to the owner’s grandmother that evening, and it turned out that this dog had been missing for 5 months! She had been adopted from a rescue organization just prior to June of 2020 at just a little over a year old. She was with her new family in Houston for a little over a month and ran off when someone left their gate open in July of 2020. The owner’s grandmother said they looked for her for a bit but never found her, so they adopted another dog that was “easier to manage.” It was apparent during the conversation that the grandmother did not want the dog back, and her granddaughter (the owner) was away at college and couldn’t keep the dog there. There was a lot of back and forth from the granddaughter and grandmother – they wanted the dog; they didn’t want the dog – it was a bad situation. Kris offered to keep the dog and give her a good home and eventually they agreed that it was best for the dog.

Long story short, the microchip information was transferred to Kris and “Ivy” (named after the daycare she was hiding next to) became a permanent fixture as one of the five “den dogs” at Kris and Chuck’s house. Ivy has trust issues, as one might imagine. She was rescued as a puppy then adopted, apparently escaped in a busy area in Houston, then - more than likely - picked up again before being dumped at the daycare in Richmond to fend for herself. Ivy gains confidence to be around new people every day, even years later in 2025. Something that helped her confidence grow was a sweet bond she developed with Hailey’s dog, Rocky.

Rocky’s best friend Lady, mentioned earlier, died of congestive heart failure in late October of 2020 – Kris was heartbroken. Ivy became part of the Barber’s pack less than a month later in October of 2020. Kris often said she thought Lady had led her to rescue Ivy since the similarities in their personality were uncanny. Ivy fit right into the group of dogs they already had and bonded to Rocky as if Lady had never left. It’s like that hole in their heart for Lady was quickly filled with Lady 2.0, aka Ivy! Ivy and Rocky became inseparable. Rocky has terrible storm anxiety – something he and Lady shared - but Ivy became his comfort instead of commiserating with him. She would curl up next to him as he’d begin to shake when the weather changed and he sensed a storm coming. Prior to Ivy, Kris, Chuck and Hailey would make plans around being home to comfort the scared, panting dogs if rain was looming. Since Rocky has had Ivy in his life, she helps him cope and it’s much easier for them to be away from the house if it’s raining.

Due to Ivy’s turmoil at the start of her life, and difficulty adapting to new people, Kris, Chuck and Hailey determined she would be better as sanctuary dog since she and Rocky are bonded. Rocky, while he interacts with all of the den dogs, is Hailey’s dog and not specifically a sanctuary dog. They would not break up the bond they have created, so she will have the love, attention, and stability she deserves – with the Barbers as a Rags To Tags Rescue & Sanctuary dog.