b'A maintenance man attempted to pick him up, but Archie bit they had him safe and would be waiting for me to arrive.Ihim and ran off into the woods again. That would be the last immediately made my way to Santa Cruz.sighting of Archie for 18 days. When she arrived, there in the bathroom of the mainte-In the meantime, Nicola was hopping between hotels and a nance building, was Archie. He was covered in everything youfriends house in Santa Cruz. Her mother flew out from New could imagine, and laying on a sweatshirt. All I could think was,Jersey again. I could not return to my home in Monterey, theres my soul dog, said Nicola. He got up almost immedi-whichwasabout45minutesaway, ately, wagging his little tail and rubbingwithout Archie, Nicola said. She taped his face into my legs.I swear he lookedsignstohercarsopeoplewouldsee at me as if to say "Where the heck havethem as she drove around Santa Cruz. you been, I have been looking every-Non-stop prank calls and scam attempts where for you!" wereotherthingsshefacedanddealt Thankfully,Archiehadnomajorwith.Hercarwasbrokenintoand injuries.Hewasupandwalkingeverythingwasstolen,including around,veryclearlyreadytocomeArchies belongings. She began therapy, home. Nicola took him to a veterinari-and also working from home which an nearby where he received lots of flu-wastherestaurantatDeLaveagaGolf ids and some antibiotics. He had lost aCourse.lot of weight, but within 18 hours ofNicolaboughttrailcamerasto returning home, he was already back towatch overnight. She received addition- being Archie again. al help from someone with a thermal Archiehadspent28daysonhisdrone,animalcommunicators,water own, surviving in and around the golfdousing, and professional trackers who course,dodgingallthewildlifethattried helping virtually. (Above): Archie drinking lots of water. lived there. The amazing support ofYounameit,wedidit,said (Below): Getting checked out by the veterinarian. the community who went out of theirNicola. The only thing we couldnt get way to find him, the golf course thatwas a tracking dog. We had reached out nevergaveuponhim,theendlessto 10 different possibilities but the dogs prayers from strangers and the immedi-wereeitherunavailableortooyoung ate friends and family who never gaveand untested. We did more flyers, more up on me, created the love and hope wedoor-to-door,andhadfinallyreached needed to get him home, said Nicola.the point where all we had left was hope At the end of those 18 days, withand prayer. no sighting of Archie, all I had prayedAfter14dayswithnosightings, for was peace, said Nicola. I wasn\'tNicola had to return home and start try- sure if that meant he was at peace ining to go back into the office for work. heaven, at peace with someone else orA sense of normalcy, she felt, would help if he would find his way back to me.her begin grieving. She was carrying an Archie came home the very next day.intense amount of grief, guilt and anxi- Nicolasaidthatiftheexperienceety. She spent a week making the 45- taught her anything, it would be recog-minutedrivebetweenMontereyand nizing the astounding amount of loveSanta Cruz. Everything she needed was she has from friends and family; thatin the trunk of her car: Archies bed, his completestrangerscanoftenbethefood, some of his favorite toys, copies of all his vet records, an ones to show the greatest abundance of support and kindness.overnight bag containing extra flyers, an extra trail camera, and And that the love of a 10 pound Toy Poodle truly knows nobig neon lost dog yard signs. At a moments notice, no matter bounds, she added.where she was, Nicola could mobilize. Archie now has multiple tracking collars and will happily beOnthemorningofMay30,2024,Nicolafacedthat celebrating Archie Week September 15th through the 20th. Andmoment.in 2025, theyll start an annual celebration as Archies FoundWhile driving to work I got a call from a maintenance Day on May 30th. Uteam member at DeLaveaga Golf Course. They had Archie. Florida Poodle Rescue They found him behind the maintenance building. They sent info@FloridaPoodleRescue.org727.265.1766me the first and only picture I got of Archie being spotted dur- Instagram @FloridaPoodleRescueing the 28 days he was missing, and confirmed with me thatwww.TheNewBarker.com THE NEW BARKER 59'