Camryn Escoto was away in Bakersfield since Wednesday when she noticed another dog while on Facetime with her uncle on Sunday.
She had no idea how and why the dog went to her home near Ashlan and Clovis avenues.
And little did she know it was the missing Madera County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Odin that was there with her German Shepherd.
Odin had gone missing since 4 a.m. PT Sunday when he left his handler’s home in Fresno and was last seen at Cedar and Bullard avenues after climbing over the top of his 6-foot kennel, and climbing over the 6-foot fence of the backyard.
The all-day search came to an end at 10 p.m. PT when Escoto notified deputies that the K-9 was with her.
“I had no idea he was a police dog,” she said. “I guess he’s been here since like 8 a.m. It’s been, it’s been a wild day. It’s been a wild day.”
She noticed Odin Sunday morning when her uncle gave her updates on her dog and said her dog was happy and “I’m like, who’s that?”
Escoto said she arrived home and got situated and got ready to take her dog for a walk.
Odin joined in on the walk, she said.
“What am I going to do,” she asked herself. “I went to open the gate and I had a collar on and I was trying to hold him back at the same time to let her out. I can’t restrain him and he just bolted out. I couldn’t control him. He’s way too powerful for me. He just continued on his walk with us. I didn’t want to get too close with him because I didn’t know his temperament.”
When Escoto went home after the walk, she said she called her dog trainer to see what she can do with the dog.
She didn’t know it was Odin until she posted a message on Next Door. That is when people told her it was the missing K-9. Even her trainer told her.
Escoto said Odin was behaving and said he’s brilliant.
She notified the Madera Sheriff’s Office that Odin was with her. Authorities went to the home and said that was in fact Odin, who reunited with his handler.
“We cannot thank Ms. Escoto enough for her swift response reporting Odin’s location,” Sheriff Tyson Pogue said. “Our community has proven once again what a truly tight knit, compassionate, supportive place it is, and we are proud to serve each of you. We feel fortunate and grateful for this outcome, and once again thank all of those who helped the extensive search efforts today.”
Escoto said her dog is super aggressive, but wasn’t much so with Odin around, which surprised her.
She’s just thankful Odin is back with his handler.
“I’m happy that I could help them locate their dog,” she said. “I really don’t have much more to describe it, but I’m happy that I could help them because I know how they feel; the feeling of not knowing where your dog is at, if they’re even alive, especially him being gone since 4 a.m. The longer that they’re gone, the longer the hope starts diminishing. I’m really happy that I could be of service and bring him back to his family.”
____
