In New Milford, Connecticut, dog owner and audio engineer Ryan Camaoini was in distress after his six-year-old, 150-pound black Italian Mastiff named Zues was nowhere in sight after he came home from running errands. Zues has been Camaoini’s companion for years now and he has been by his side day and night.
According to Camaoini, he discovered that the metal gate he had set up at the back patio was warped by the time he came home which was probably Zues’ exit point. He went into panic mode as soon as he realized that Zues was lost but after a moment, he calmed down and went on to call a friend for help. Luckily, his friend pointed him to the New Milford Facebook page where there was a reported sighting of Zues.
Unfortunately, Zues, spooked by a policeman who approached him, went off running into the woods before Camaoini even got there. There had been so many close calls following that where people who spotted Zues would call him and he would arrive literally just 10 or 15 minutes later only to miss his dog.
But despite all that, he continued to search for Zues and not even stopping for a little break. He left pieces of clothing in areas where Zues was spotted in hopes that he will smell Camaoini’s scent and find his way back home through it.
And as he searched, he would also see tens of people on foot and even drones helping him out.
After days of searching, he was advised to cook bacon in the woods as it naturally attracts wildlife. He wasn’t into the idea at first but was running out of options and so he went on to buy a mini-charcoal grill at Home Depot. He burned bacon as well as sausages in three different spots on Shriner Mountain Road.
Zues went missing on a Thursday and it was already Monday night and he still had not been found. Camaoini already felt sick and he decided that he would go home, get some sleep, and return the following morning to continue. But as he turned around and came back down, there he saw Zues standing just 50 yards away from the burning bacon. It was a very surreal moment for Camaoini who had been looking nonstop for five days.
Camaoini threw Zues some chicken to attract him and then he took his jacket off so that Zues could recognize his scent. Just moments after, Zues then followed him and quietly jumped into the car. He looked so hungry and cold and had some ticks on him but other than that, he was healthy. Camaoini was very thankful to the whole New Milford community who came together to help him.
Source: Stamford Advocate
