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A dog abandoned at a Mountain Home school has a permanent home after a search that played out largely on Facebook.
The dog, now named Moose, was dumped at the school and picked up by temporary caregivers, who posted his photo to a local lost-and-found pets group hoping someone would take him.
Dr. Win Moore saw the post while he and his wife, Dana, were driving back from a family trip to Florida. He said he looked at the dog’s eyes and knew.
Moose did not wait around for the introduction. He slipped away from the people watching him before the Moores made it back to town.
What followed was a scattered, days-long search. Sightings turned up around town, including one at a restaurant. Then the reports stopped.
The search ended at a front door. A local woman opened hers and found Moose sitting on the step. She got him inside and called it in.
Moore picked him up the next day and took him to a veterinarian for a checkup. Then Moose went home for good.
“We wouldn’t really call ourselves a foster family,” Moore said. “Once they’re with us, they’re with us.”
The Moores have taken in about nine dogs over the years. Six lived out their days at the Moore house. A few went to other families better suited to what those dogs needed.
Moore said he feels blessed to help the animals.
Moose has settled in. He rides shotgun on car trips and hands out hugs without much prompting. Dana Moore said the dogs in the family are spoiled, which she suggested may be an understatement.
Moore is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon at Baxter Health Bone and Joint Clinic in Mountain Home.
