Mayor’s dogs returned home after missing for hours

Community rallied to help and give Lachermeier family support 

Buffalo Mayor Teri Lachermeier and her family have two dogs, Millie (female, golden doodle) and Ruby (female, shepherd mix). They got Ruby as a puppy from Crossroads Animal Shelter in Buffalo. They received Millie as a puppy from a friend who was not able to have dogs in their new apartment.

On Friday, October 27, after letting her dogs in the backyard to go potty, Lachermeier and her family had noticed they were no longer in the yard when they went to let them back inside. They had let them out at 5:30 a.m. and noticed they were gone around ten minutes later. 

Both dogs are approximately a year-and-a-half years old. “They are always together, so I knew they would be found together,” Lachermeier said. “Millie is motherly to Ruby,” she continued.

“I have never felt so helpless,” Lachermeier stated. The Lachermeier’s have a fenced in backyard at their residence in Buffalo. She and her husband, David, noticed that a branch from a tree that had previously fallen a year ago had knocked down two fence slats, leaving a gap big enough for the dogs to get out. 

Lachermeier posted on Facebook and received a great amount of support and advice from community members. “People were really wanting to help,” she shared. A lot of people gave good suggestions,” she continued. Lachermeier said that social media, and the support she received helped bring her some comfort while her dogs were missing. “I did everything everyone suggested,” she stated.

“I received so many calls, even from people out of state from seeing the post on social media,” she explained. Lachermeier also made calls to see if her dogs had been found. She had called the Buffalo Police Department, Crossroads Animal Shelter, Lost Dogs Minnesota, and other individuals and organizations during the nine hours her dogs were out and about. Ruby is chipped, so Lachermeier called multiple shelters to see if she had been turned in.

“It was hard because at first we were searching in the dark,” Lachermeier explained as her dogs originally got out early in the morning. Her daughter, Gabrielle, drove around throughout the day hoping she could spot their family dogs. 

David and Gabrielle went out to a wooded area near their home and called for Millie and Ruby. “They came right away when they called,” Lachermeier said. The dogs had burs on them and were dirty when they returned but were otherwise unharmed. They both drank a lot of water. “They were both very tired and happy to be home,” Lachermeier recalled. The dogs were home around 3:30 p.m. that day.

“We now have Apple AirTags for the dogs,” Lachermeier said. Apple AirTags are small, round GPS devices that can be placed in a pet identification tag or keychain to be used for other items like car keys. The GPS location of the AirTag can connect to smartphones or tablets so you can track where an item is or find it if it is lost. 

For those in the area who may not have access to social media, Mayor Lachermeier has great advice after her experience. “Definitely make those crucial phone calls. Call Buffalo Police Department. I spoke to Officer Tony Daniels, if they know your dog is missing, when they find it they will return it to you rather than a shelter,” she explained. “Call animal shelters and KRWC. They aired the information after I called them,” she said. “There are so many other ways. MLost Dogs Minnesota has a website and is a good resource,” she stated. She also explained that letting your neighbors and those around you know is helpful as well. “You are not alone, I know how helpless you feel,” she continued.

The link to Lost Dogs Minnesota is: https://lostdogsmn.com/. To contact the Buffalo Police Department to report a missing pet, call: 763-682-5976.