A dog on the loose for over a week was caught early this morning in a trap at Mauch Chunk Lake in Summit Hill.

The dog, believed to be a female Portuguese water dog, was caught around midnight, according to Tom Connors, director of the Carbon County Animal Shelter.

The dog was taken to the shelter this morning. It doesn’t appear to be injured.

“I got the call this morning, I was ecstatic,” Connors said. “Unfortunately, we don’t have the information on the owner of this dog, but we’re happy that it’s safe and we’re going to look for the owner.”

Andrea Hartman of Jim Thorpe, and Donna Barney, of Kresgeville, were two of Connors’ helpers who set the trap.

“We had a trap set since Thursday, a smaller trap at first, then we got a bigger trap on Sunday,” said Hartman, who added they just kept putting fresh food in until the dog finally went in. “She’s very, very sweet, looks young; I would say under 3 (years old).”

Hartman said they had cameras set up at Mauch Chunk Lake and were monitoring the situation.

“I was super excited; this was my first experience trying to trap a dog,” Hartman said. “It was stressful, no sleep; but it was worth it.”

Hartman stressed that if people see a lost dog, they should not try to chase it.

She said the dog was running for at least two weeks.

“I think the dog was well taken care of, well groomed, very friendly; it was a well-loved dog,” Hartman said. “Hopefully, we can find the owner; the chip was not registered.”

Barney said she’s been trained in lost dog recovery for almost 10 years.

“I think what Andrea saw firsthand is that it’s very important that when a dog is missing, that people don’t try to approach the dog; the dog needs to come to you,” Barney said. “They go into survival mode, and they won’t even go to their own owners in a lot of circumstances.”

Barney explained that being involved in lost dog recovery can be extremely stressful.

“We’re just glad that she is now safe and was very well taken care of,” she said. “This dog was loved.”

Barney stressed the importance of people needing to realize when they get a dog microchipped, that there is an additional process that needs to be done that they have to register that microchip.

Before its capture, Connors said on Monday there had been “multiple sightings” of the dog from Summit Hill to Jim Thorpe.

German shepherds

Connors gave an update on the two young white German shepherds that have been on the loose that belong to the same owner in the Mahoning Township owner.

“I did just see a post,” Connors said. “I think they were spotted together in the woods, and the owner was given that information.”

The shepherds were spotted Sunday evening on Pine Hill Road in Andreas.

The owners spotted them but were never able to get close enough as they went back into the woods.

If people interact with the dogs at all, they will scare the dog and eliminate progress with trapping.