‘Dog Whisperer’ is doggone good
By Terry L. Wilson
Babs Fry, founder and president of “A Way Home for Animals Inc.,” is a canine super sleuth. When man’s best friend goes missing, she can sniff out the escaped pooch’s whereabouts faster than you can say, “Lassie come home.”
“Basically, what I do is to serve as a go-to point for people who have lost their pets,” Fry said. “When that happens, most people don’t know where to begin. They panic, and then go racing around looking for their dog, and when that doesn’t work, they put out flyers, all of which is counterproductive. So, I teach people the steps they should take and what they should avoid, and I’ll personally get in involved if needed.”
Fry’s’ reputation as a tracker of lost dogs is well known, especially in Scripps Ranch where she has helped numerous locals find and bring home their runaway dogs.
When Scripps Ranch resident Leslie Chadwick’s foster dog Penny went A.W.O.L. via an open gate, she turned to Fry for help.
“Babs reached out to us the next day and told us what to do and what not to do,” Chadwick said. “We had one false sighting, then the following day Penny was seen in a nearby field. Babs told me to take our other dog and a rotisserie chicken and stay in one place.”
“The biggest mistake people make is to chase after their dog,” Fry said. “Stay in one spot, don’t spread your scent around because your dog will follow that scent instead of going back home. Don’t use fried chicken or boiled chicken or chicken nuggets. The rotisserie chicken has a unique smell that attracts dogs; it really is very effective.”
Standing in the mud and pouring rain, in one hand Chadwick had her dog on a leash, in the other hand she gripped a rotisserie chicken. It wasn’t long until Chadwick and Penny were reunited and on their way home.
“Babs is amazing,” Chadwick said.
In fact, she has been instrumental in getting three dogs back to owners here in Scripps Ranchwithin the time this article was written.
“It takes a village to rescue lost dogs. From putting up posters, calling in sightings and Social Media detectives doing follow-ups,” Fry said.
She is quick to credit the individuals in the Scripps Ranch community that volunteer to be part her support group – like Leslie Chadwick and Marsha Linehan.
“I originally got involved when Babs helped find my friend’s dog,” Linehan said. “My friend had cancer and she was very distressed when her dog went missing. But thanks to Babs and her friend Trapper Laura, they quickly brought the dog home.
A recent rescue involved a pooch named Canyon who’d been on the run for more than a week. Working endlessly, all hours of the day and night Babs, Chadwick and Linehan completed another successful rescue.
Fry has helped find hundreds of dogs in San Diego and even more nationwide.
“I live in East County, but my services have actually gone worldwide. I take calls from anywhere in the world,” she said.
Fry’s serves are free. The expenses come out of her own pocket. To find out how to help and to learn more about the do’s and don’ts of catching a runaway dog, contact Fry at (619) 249-2221 or email awayhomeforanimals@gmail.com.