Poor Crocker. Beaufort Pomeranian discovered pluff mud after running away from home
Most folks know not to mess with the Lowcountry’s pluff mud. It’s thick, slick, smelly — and known to trap just about anything that ventures into it.
Unfortunately, Crocker, an 11-year-old Pomeranian, learned that lesson the hard way after running away. It took a cohort of community members and first responders working together to rescue him.
Crocker’s owners, soon-to-be-wed Carol Threet and Wayne Cairnes, returned from the grocery store to their Shell Point-area home around 4:30 p.m. Sunday and brought the bags in before sitting down to dinner.
While they were eating, Cairnes dropped a small piece of food on the floor. He looked at it for a few moments, expecting Crocker to run over and eat it, as he always has. But Crocker was a no-show.
He turned to Threet, his brows furrowing.
“Where’s Crocker?”
Panic set in as they searched the house, then the neighborhood, then up and down the main street.
Crocker hasn’t made a habit of running away, but every now and then, he manages to get out of the gate and ventures to the neighbor’s house for some attention and pets before returning home, Threet said.
Threet was worried about Crocker, hoping the dog hadn’t been struck by car or something else bad. But she was also worried about Crocker’s recent epilepsy diagnosis. He has to take medication twice a day to prevent seizures.
As Threet and Cairnes’ voices grew hoarse from yelling for the dog, and the car’s gas tank drained to near empty, they stopped at a nearby Parker’s gas station.
An officer with the Port Royal Police Department happened to be there at the same time. Cairnes asked if they’d found a dog.
The officer smiled, knowing a little Pomeranian had just been rescued from the marsh behind Waterleaf at Battery Creek apartments in Port Royal, thanks to a Good Samaritan who heard Crocker’s barks and called 911.
The Beaufort Water Search and Rescue had launched an airboat and scooped up Crocker with help from police, fire, and animal control officers and neighbors who allowed them to use their private dock, Assistant Chief Ross Vezin, spokesperson for City of Beaufort/Town of Port Royal Fire Department, told The Island Packet.
Threet and Cairnes were elated by the officer’s news and picked Crocker up from animal control on Lady’s Island.
“Wayne was in tears,” Threet said. “It’s like a kid. You want to get upset with them (for running away), but you can’t because you’re so happy you have them back.”
Threet, who’s lived in Beaufort since 1983, and Cairnes, who’s lived there all his life, said they’re thankful the community came together to save their dog.
After a Sunday night bath and a day to relax, Threet said, Crocker has an appointment Tuesday to get microchipped.
This story was originally published March 29, 2021 at 1:15 PM.
