I lost Summer while hiking yesterday (but found her)

It was really a pretty scary incident mostly because I still have NO IDEA what happened. We were out in the woods, which is Mia's favorite place to go. It's very thick but there are deer trails and a ravine that Mia loves running up and down and climbing. We don't go there but in the cold months because of snakes and ticks but we'd been once before this year.

I just don't know what happened.... we were walking along and then I noticed Mia out about 30 ft behind me and just staring at me. She barked and I called the dogs to me and Mia wouldn't come.... and then I noticed that Summer was nowhere in sight. It was in the 30s outside and already getting dark. I started clapping and calling out as loud as possible and she didn't come. She was wearing a bright pink vest and between that and her white fur I thought she had to be easy to find but I searched and searched and she was just GONE. And I kept asking Mia 'where's Summer' because at home she'll look at Summer and pounce on her but she didn't seem to have a clue where she was either.

I started panicking and then backtracking along the trail, calling for her. It was probably 10 minutes or so when I found her on the trail. Luckily she tends to stay to the trail.

She was totally disoriented, which is what concerns me. And when we were hiking out I was keeping an extra close eye on her and she stopped a couple times and was just staring at something behind us.

Anyways, I'm a little bit concerned because she seemed so out of it and I have no clue how she was there behind me then just.... not there. There have been a couple times recently that have made me wonder if her hearing is going. Most the time she's been fine but a couple times I've called her to the back door and she runs to the front door and can't seem to figure out where I'm calling from. The wind was blowing pretty hard and the trees were rustling loudly so maybe she just stopped to sniff and then just couldn't hear or figure out where I was calling from?

Anyways, it was scary. I'm glad I found her though. Not sure if we're going to go in the woods again.

I'm glad you found her. Are you going to have her hearing checked?

Glad you found her! Maybe it was a combination of wind, her hearing and the cold - could be the cold is affecting her more since she's older, and it could have added to her disorientation.
Have you thought about getting one of those flashing lights that bicyclists sometimes wear? Before they paved our road (and took away any kind of shoulder), I used to walk the dogs at night and put the flashing lights on them and me. Most of them are clip-ons, you could put them on her vest or harness, might make it easier to spot her, especially at dusk.

I wanted to go woods walking this weekend but it's been still deer season for guns and people hunt all around us. Even though we all wear blaze orange, I don't trust some of the nuts out there.

Glad you found her! That's always scary. I lost Summit once last spring. We were with a friend and her dog, and all of a sudden I look around and wonder why we only have one greyhound with us. Fortunately I knew what happened and where to go. We had passed a fork in the trail and Summit often trails to smell and mark. I hadn't been paying enough attention when we went through the fork and he must have gotten to it when we were out of sight and not known which way to go. I ran back along the trail to the parking lot and he was there waiting for me at the truck. But since then I remember to always check where he's at when we get to a junction.

Also, I often put bells on them now so that I can always hear where he's at. You can put different bells on each dog to give them their own unique sound so you know as long as you hear both sounds you still have both dogs with you.

How scary!! Glad you found her, and she was unharmed.

Maddie did a similar thing a long while back... that and things going on at home made me decide to not let her go off-leash on hikes any more Which we both don't like But, here I am about a year later and she is just about 100% deaf. So the little things I noticed were beginning stages, I just didn't know it until now. I'm not saying that's Summer's problem here but I am saying, trust your gut. If you think something's "off" then you're probably right. Often times things passed off as "old age" are treatable or manageable conditions

I'd have her at the vet doing a check up to be sure nothing is going wrong. So many things people explain as "old age" isn't old age at all. Eight is not all that old, especially not old for a toy breed.

That's so scary! I am happy she is safe and sound.
Good dog Mia, for noticing her sister was missing!

She's 9.5. Which, yes, is still not old but she's not acting old at all really other than me wondering about her hearing. Not sure how to tell if she's losing her hearing- up close its obvious she can hear. She does tend to derp a lot (and always has). If she thinks I'm in one spot and I show up in a different spot, she never figures out where I went. Like... if I go through the back door then come in through the gate, she will go to the back door if I call her.

I think a bell or a light is a good idea for the woods if we decide to go back.

How scary!

Canine Cognitive Dysfunction is a real thing. There's evidence that increasing the EPA in the diet can help to counteract the effects. It made a dramatic difference in Buzz (he was starting to get stuck in corners and appear lost). He only gets stuck now when he's physically stuck (mobility issues).

So, something to look into as well!

I did some reading on that and it's interesting but he has none of the symptoms. She's still exciteable about things, doesn't wander, still snappy when it comes to tricks and agility, no potty accidents at all, no getting stuck on walls or having trouble getting through doors, still very athletic and agile, keeps up on 5-7 mile hikes easily unless its hot.... (Though I do think trey must've had that). She does sleep a lot lately if you're not doing things with her. I gues that to be expected. Even at four shed sleep till noon and you'd have to drag her out of bed.

I guess I should just watch her for now? Would y'all do anything particular at this point?

No,I wouldn't do anything,at this point but keep a even closer look when off,to long walk so that it doesn't happen again.
Maybe next time,you go to the vet,have her eyes and ears checked but that's about all you can do.

Same here. After one incident, I would be watchful but not panicking. It could have been something as simple as falling into some little hollow she had to work to get out of and then feeling weirded out afterwards. Once is just once, but I would be keeping a close eye on her and if anything weird happens again then I'd have her checked out.

How old is Summer again? Isn't she in her senior years? First thing that comes to mind is canine dementia. My grandmother's dog had it and would occasionally do very similar things.

Regardless if she has an issue or not, that's really scary! We lost Ma'ii temporarily last weekend while hiking out in the desert at night. We found him after a few minutes, but talk about a heart attack!

If she did have dementia or something what would the vet be able to do o diagnose it? She is a 'senior' these days at 9.5 years old but her relatives typically make 15-16 so...

I do think its very possible she wandered a bit to pee on something (or something) and got stuck trying to follow me and I just didn't notice. She's finicky about things sometimes. Does seem to have some issues with pinpointing where a sound is coming from but Summer has always been a bit of a derp (hence the summer Dum Dum moniker)