3-legged dog explored city all alone for 246 days. He’s now home with a big smile

For more than eight months, a Labrador mix named Kinnick was out on his own exploring Iowa City, Iowa.

He appeared to be mostly OK, often passing up food left out for him and otherwise dodging rescuers. But those rescuers often knew where the 3-year-old dog was.

His 3-legged paw prints were a dead giveaway.

Now, 246 days after he escaped from his owner, Kinnick has been rescued, according to Paws of Hope Animal Rescue. The group posted images of Kinnick’s heartwarming smile as they shared news about his rescue Wednesday, May 3.

“Sign Kinnick with the Hawkeyes because that boy couldn’t be touched,” the rescue group said of the Iowa Hawkeyes football team, which plays at Kinnick Stadium. “The big question: why did this one take so long? I mean, what the heck Kinnick?! This was exhausting, mentally and physically. But totally worth it for an outcome like this.”

How did Kinnick go missing?

Kinnick, who only has three legs because of severe injuries he suffered while in a “horrible situation” with a previous owner, went missing in August.

Paws of Hope Animal Rescue said Kinnick “loves his current family,” but he got spooked while out for a walk and escaped.

When Kinnick was eventually spotted, he no longer had his leash attached to him. Rescuers believe Kinnick broke free from the leash when it got caught on something.

As the animal rescue group went to work trying to track down Kinnick, they were faced with a challenging dilemma. Kinnick is fearful of most people because of trauma from his previous owner.

“Humans purposefully put him into harms way. So when people ask, ‘Why won’t Kinnick just let someone help? What does he continue to run?’ That is why,” the rescue group said. “And we don’t blame him.”

How did they search for Kinnick?

Crews often had eyes on the 3-legged Labrador, but rescuing the dog proved to be difficult.

He knew where the food bowls for other animals were and would not stay in a single location for too long, the rescue group said.

“He didn’t fall for our live traps,” they said. “He just headed on to a bowl left out for other animals. And passed up the dog food, steak, sometimes roast chicken, you name it. He wasn’t falling for it.”

His distinctive 3-legged paw prints were visible in the snow during the winter months, allowing crews to set up cameras in areas where he prowled for food.

But despite some of this progress, it wasn’t until May that Kinnick was captured.

The search for Kinnick ends

Around 3 a.m. Wednesday, Annabelle Lewis received a phone call that her dog had been rescued, according to the Iowa City Press-Citizen

Her father, Chris Lewis, recalled “tears of joy” as they received the news.

“The amount of time and money they spent and volunteered to help us, total strangers, get this dog back, it’s just so overwhelming and I can’t say enough good stuff about them and how amazing they are,” Chris Lewis said of the animal rescue group, the Press-Citizen reported.

During his travels, it’s believed that Kinnick explored a great deal of Iowa City, which encompasses about 25 square miles.

“Kinnick, on behalf of the Paws of Hope team, we are hoping you’ve had your fair share of exploring the Iowa city area,” the group said. “You’ve shown us parts of Iowa City as life long Iowans, that we’ve never seen. Thank you for the tour. We love you buddy!”

This story was originally published May 4, 2023 at 3:53 PM with the headline "3-legged dog explored city all alone for 246 days. He’s now home with a big smile."