Dog Gone : A Lost Pet's Extraordinary Journey and the Family Who Brought Him Home

**The true story of a lost dog’s journey and a family’s furious search to find him before it is too late.** Saturday, October 10, 1998. Fielding Marshall is hiking on the Appalachian Trail. His beloved dog—a six-year-old golden retriever mix named Gonker—bolts into the woods. Just like that, he has vanished. And Gonker has Addison’s disease. If he’s not found in twenty-three days, he will die. The search begins. Fielding and his father, John, are dispatched to the field. They have the family’s other dog, Uli, in tow. Combing the trails, Fielding and his father bond like never before. Fielding’s sister, Peyton, calls and talks him through some of his lowest moments. And—at home—Fielding’s mother, Virginia, sets up a command center. Virginia becomes a field general. With a map and a phone book at her side, she contacts animal shelters, police precincts, general stores, community centers, newspapers, radio stations, churches, and park rangers. She is tireless. The local paper in Waynesboro, Virginia, writes a small story about the family’s search. The story hits the AP newswire. Tips—many of them of questionable authenticity—pour in from across the country. But as the search continues, the Marshalls realize they may not survive losing Gonker. Even as the wounds of their past return to haunt them and threaten to jeopardize everything, they know they have one mission: bring Gonker home. With a big heart, intelligent humor, and a deft touch, Pauls Toutonghi tells this true tale of loss, love, and resilience. __Dog Gone__ is by turns a story about how a family comes together in a crisis—and the way heroism can assert itself in the little things we do each day. The true heartwarming story of a lost dog's journey and a family's furious search to find him before it is too late. On Saturday, October 10, 1998, Fielding Marshall was hiking on the Appalachian Trail near Catawba, Virginia, when his dog, a six-year-old golden retriever named Gonker, bolted into the woods, and vanished. Fielding was crushed. Gonker had helped him through one of the most difficult times in his life, and now Gonker was gone. To make matters worse, Gonker had Addison's disease, and Fielding knew that if he could not find him in time to give him his medication, Gonker would die. In the ensuing days and weeks, Fielding's family rallied around him and did their best to keep hope alive, pouring themselves into the search for the beloved dog. Fielding and his father John were dispatched to the field with the family's other dog Oli in tow. Combing the trails for days on end, Fielding and his father bonded unlike they ever had before. From across the country Fielding's sister, Paton, called him and talk him through some of his lowest moments. At home Virginia, Fielding's mother, set up a command center. With a map splayed on the table and a phonebook at her side, she contacted animal shelters, police precincts, general stores, community centers, newspapers, and radio stations in a tireless campaign to spread the word. At first, a small local paper ran a piece about Gonker, but then the story was picked up by the AP and went national. Tips and support began to pour in from across the country. Still, it seemed bleak. With profound love for each other, The Marshalls comforted each other and prepared for the worst. Then Gonker was spotted on the Appalachian trail more than a hundred miles due north from where he got lost. Fielding leapt in his car to be reunited with his dog. A little worse for the wear, but actually in relatively good shape, Gonker sprinted into Fielding's arms upon seeing him. The two returned home together, and in the process of finding Gonker the family stumbled upon something else--their profound love and support for one another. With a big heart, an intelligent humor, and a deft touch, Pauls Toutonghi tells the true tale of loss, love, and resilience. Dog Gone is by turns a story about how a family coalesces in a crisis, how we often discover our best selves in the roles we play for others, and how hope and help sometimes come from the most unlikely places "After its dog, Gonker, disappears along the Appalachian Trail, a family begins a frantic search, one that is spurred on by the fact that Gonker will die from Addison's disease if he is not found within 23 days"-- After their dog, Gonker, disappeared along the Appalachian Trail, the Marshall family began a frantic search spurred on by the fact that Gonker would die from Addison's disease if he was not found within 23 days. When the local paper in Waynesboro, Virginia wrote a small story about the family's search, the story hit the AP newswire and tips poured in from across the country. The Marshalls came to realize they may not survive losing Gonker, even as their crisis brought them closer together. The true story of a dog who disappeared along the Appalachian Trail, and the family who united to find him, spurred on by the fact that he would die from Addison's disease if he was not found within 23 days.