After weeks on the run across San Francisco, Anchovy Jack is safe. The small tan, one-eyed dog is back at San Francisco Animal Care and Control (SFACC), eating, drinking and resting comfortably, the agency said.
The escape
Anchovy Jack is a former street dog adopted from an East Bay organization. He slipped out of his new San Francisco home days after he was neutered and had his right eye surgically removed, the Los Angeles Times reported. The agency has not said why the eye was removed.
He was spotted in the Sunset, the Richmond, Golden Gate Park, the Marina and the Presidio, and at one point reached Marina Green, SFist reported. "Anchovy Jack can run fast, jump high, and was too frightened to slow down and let anyone get close to him," SFACC said. Officers kept responding to the latest sighting, but nobody could catch him.
How he was caught
SFACC called in Susan Packer, a Bay Area lost-pet recovery specialist who runs K9Reunite. Packer and a group of volunteers tracked sightings from a distance so they wouldn't spook him, and animal control passed along reports from its dispatch line. Once he settled into a smaller area, Packer set a humane trap and stayed nearby day and night. One night, after the streets had quieted down, he walked in. Packer brought him to the shelter, where staff were waiting with a bed and toys.
What's next
Anchovy Jack won't return to the home he escaped from and isn't available for adoption yet. SFACC is looking for a foster placement through a specialized rescue group so he can decompress first. The agency said he will need a home that can handle his need for lots of activity.
During the search, SFACC asked residents not to chase him or try to catch him themselves, warning he could run into traffic or hurt himself.