FREEPORT, Maine — Ashley Perkins and Rod Salguero had to invite Popeye to their wedding in Maine.
The Brooklyn, New York, couple had become so enamored of Popeye, the shy miniature Australian shepherd they had adopted, that the thought of boarding the dog when they traveled to Maine to marry in North Haven on June 27 was never a serious part of the wedding plans. Popeye was going to be at the ceremony.
But a week later, the dog ran off, and the newlyweds have spent their second and third weeks of marriage leading a frantic search to find Popeye and return him safely to their home.
Salguero explained that when he and Perkins were looking to adopt another dog two years ago, they discovered Popeye. After a five-hour drive to Syracuse to adopt the 5-month-old pup, he slowly acclimated himself to their urban household.
“Popeye is a very skittish and intense special dog and we could tell that right from the start,” said Salguero. “We rescued him from a situation where he had been living outside in a pen that smelled, so taking him home seemed like the best choice for all of us.”
As they continued to give as much love and support to Popeye as they could, the couple began to notice just how hard it was to gain his trust. They socialized the shy dog as well as as they could, but they always found that Popeye grew agitated around strangers and was most comfortable around them.
“During my wedding, my brother was holding him on a leash and you could tell Popeye was uncomfortable,” said Perkins. “When we let him off the leash, he came and sat right on my wedding dress. It’s just a clear example that he doesn’t trust anyone but Rod and I because we had to build that trust over a few years.”
On Friday, July 3, the couple decided to take a quick trip to the shopping outlets in Freeport, and left the dogs with Perkins’ sister. An hour after leaving, they received a frantic phone call from Perkins’ sister reporting that Popeye had taken off into the woods behind her home on Baker Street. She was unable to find him.
Perkins and Salguero drove back to search for him. At this point, Popeye had run right through Baker’s Woods to Interstate 295. When he reportedly tried to cross the median, someone reported to the police that a loose dog had almost caused a pileup.
Popeye was sighted again about an hour later near 132 Baker Road, but disappeared almost as quickly as he had been seen. Freeport Animal Control Officer Heidi Nelson, who has been helping with the case, said that when skittish dogs run away, finding them can be a complex process for everyone involved.
“When dogs are scared like that, they develop a tunnel vision,” said Nelson. “Things that would normally make them happy aren’t in play at that point because they are so scared. The best thing anyone can do is report a sighting rather than chase the dog down.”
Natalie Messier, a volunteer for Maine Lost Dog Recovery, has also been aiding in the search for Popeye. She echoed Nelson’s advice that the best way to help is to report the sighting rather than chase the dog.
“People shouldn’t go actively searching, otherwise he’ll be on the move,” said Messier. “People don’t understand that he views human beings as predators. What we need most are sightings and for people to call in when they think they’ve seen him.”
In response to Popeye’s disappearance, Perkins and Salguero created a Facebook page titled “ Find Popeye” in hopes that the community would be willing to help find their beloved pet. With 1,467 likes, the story of Popeye’s disappearance has created a space for people to report sightings and to provide words of sympathy and encouragement while he is still running around Maine.
Perkins and Salguero returned to Brooklyn last week, but came back to Maine last weekend in hopes that Popeye might see them and be more comfortable with someone he trusts.
“We’ve been told the only way they think they can catch him is if we were there at the exact moment he was seen or if we were to catch him in a humane trap,” said Perkins. “Heidi has been helping us leave food and familiar scents out in the area he was last seen in hopes that he will stay in the close by.”
Salguero explained that for the last week and a half, the couple has been working with Perkins’ sister and other community members to spread the word that their lost dog is in the area.
“He was recently sighted closer to Brunswick, so he’s probably covered 10-16 miles at this point,” said Salguero. “We think if we were just there to see him, he would return to us. We haven’t been able to, though, because we’re not in Maine anymore. It’s been tough to have this powerless feeling, but clearly he’s surviving.”