UNDERWOOD – The puppy was lying alone and in full harness on the side of the road when Ivy Carpe drove by on Aug. 3. The dog, now back with his owner, was stolen from Stevenson the night before.
Carpe was driving to the Saturday market when she saw the dog near mile 11 on Cook-Underwood Road.
When Carpe saw a motorhome nearby with no one in the driver’s seat, he remembered a fear he had had for years: that someone might fall over the cliff. Had the dog owner fallen over?
Carpe sent a message to Skamania County Sheriff Summer Scheyer, who dispatched Sergeant Ryan Taylor. “(Carpe) thought the whole situation was odd, and she was absolutely right,” Scheyer said. “I love community members who can help us.” Twenty minutes later, the dog was still there, avoiding Taylor’s approach. After the deputy got water and “wooed” the dog, he agreed to get into a patrol vehicle. “He said, ‘Load up.’ And she just jumped in, got in the passenger seat and was his best friend,” Scheyer said.
Taylor also looked for people who had fallen over the cliff, but the dog was alone.
Meanwhile, the dog’s owner reported it stolen from a Mexican restaurant in Stevenson after searching all night. Dog and human were soon reunited.
She is the only stolen service dog Scheyer can remember in her 23 years of service in Skamania County. There is currently no suspect in the theft. Officers searched for useful surveillance video but were unable to find any.
“I’m so glad I trusted my gut and knew that service dogs don’t just lie around when no one is around,” Carpe wrote.
“I think my biggest takeaway from this is that I have such great community partners like Ivy who feel comfortable reaching out to me,” Scheyer said. The best place to go is 509-427-9490.
