Community Comes Together to Find Lost Dog

During the height of the January blizzard, Fancy, a 5-year-old Shih Tzu mix, took off from her home in the Summerfield development in Elverson.

Over the next two weeks, while Fancy was missing, the community rallied together to find her. There were people out looking for her in the bitter cold, and for those who were not local and couldn't search, they offered prayers for her safe return. Ultimately, with the help of the neighbors and a dog tracker who volunteered to help, Fancy was returned to her owner safe and unharmed.

Linda Smith adopted Fancy from a rescue on June 26, 2025. The dog was surrendered to the rescue from a puppy mill and was shy and timid around people. "I didn't know what she was going to be like, but I said, 'I am not leaving this dog here,'" said Smith, when describing her first visit with Fancy.

Exactly seven months later on Jan. 26, Fancy escaped at 4 a.m. after she "asked" to be let outside. "She and I were sleeping in a chair, which is what I was doing with her when I first got her, because I felt she needed the human touch," Smith recalled. "She woke me up frantic (to go out). I usually put her on the deck, but the snow was way too deep. Something scared her and she went right out the garage door and down the driveway and made a right turn."

Normally, Smith blew a whistle to call Fancy back in, but the dog did not respond to it or when Smith called her name.

Even though it was early morning, Smith contacted her neighbors, including Karen Templeton, who put Fancy's photo and information on Facebook. "I was handling the social media and technology for Linda, and another neighbor created posters the same day," said Templeton. "I emailed our homeowners association, and they emailed everyone in Summerfield."

Through neighbors, Smith learned that Fancy had been living off birdseed from people's feeders. "She survived the cold, even when it was in single digits," Smith noted. "Between the bird feeder and a stand of some evergreens is where she was seen a number of times. I think she was getting under the trees to hide and to have some shelter from the wind."

After Fancy went missing, Carole Lowry of Gap, who has a passion for helping people find lost dogs, contacted Templeton on social media and offered to help track Fancy. "I walked around and talked to the people and businesses that had security cameras. I set up a trail cam where she had gone last," Lowry explained. "These nice people in the development let me set up a feed station. I even ran electric cords from people's houses to set up a heated water dish to keep the food warm for her because by the time she would come to eat, the food would be frozen."

Eventually, Lowry was able to trap Fancy using her neighbor's fishing net. "They saw her next to the crate but not in the crate," said Smith. "She caught her with a net. She was so worn out that she didn't put up much of a fuss."

On the day Fancy was found, Lowry rushed to Elverson from Gap after a sighting. After capturing her, she wrapped Fancy in a blanket and, along with Templeton, drove her to the local veterinarian. "We called Linda and said, 'We got her' and (asked) her to meet us there," noted Lowry.

"When I walked in, Carole was sitting in the corner of the waiting room with Fancy in her lap. Karen was right next to her," said Smith. "What I saw was a little dog that was mostly covered with a blanket and her head was down, and I couldn't even get a look at her. As I got closer, Carole said Fancy didn't seem to be doing well. But when I started talking to her, all of sudden that little head came up."

Smith reported that Fancy was given a clean bill of health. She lost two pounds during the ordeal but has gained most of it back.

Templeton has great praise for Lowry's efforts, as well as those of local residents. "Carole is amazing person. She does this as a volunteer. She spent hours in freezing weather looking for Fancy. She would check trail cams every hour on the hour," said Templeton, adding, "People in the neighborhood searched for hours and hours walking and looking for her. It's a wonderful story for our small town. People cared. It was touching."

"Through the power of social media, the community helped to bring her home," Lowry added. "Karen did a great job sending messages to the homeowners association to spread the word and to make sure residents listened to my orders of not calling or chasing her if sighted. So it was a wonderful community coming together for a little girl and her mama."