For nearly six months, Amy English tried to rescue a brilliant stray dog named Sadie — and nearly every time, Sadie outsmarted her.
But when an ice storm threatened Sadie’s newborn puppies, rescuers knew they had to act fast.
The Mystery Of The Fenced Yard
English, a board member and volunteer with Duck Team 6, suspected Sadie was hiding her litter in a fenced backyard. The only question was how she was getting in and out.
After monitoring trail cameras for a week, English finally caught Sadie on video climbing a fallen tree and hopping over the fence to reach her babies.
With freezing weather on the way, rescuers worked with the homeowner to locate Sadie nursing eight puppies beneath a trailer. Sadie allowed them to gently take the puppies — but when they tried to slip-lead her, she bolted.
That had been their pattern for months.
The Dog Who Couldn’t Be Caught
English first encountered Sadie in August 2025 while rescuing her previous litter from an industrial area. Sadie and two other strays were surviving beneath semitrucks and dumpsters.
Once a foster home was secured, English began carefully conditioning Sadie to humane traps with food. Eventually, Sadie entered one.
But she wasn’t done yet.
By pulling on a cord connected to a monitoring camera, Sadie bent the trap just enough to squeeze out.
“She really punked us,” English said. “We just stood there in shock. Like, how did you just do this, you little Houdini?”
Rescuers later tried a reinforced “Missy trap” designed for especially smart and skittish dogs. Sadie avoided that one, too — even leading rescuers deep into a storm drain at one point.
The Puppies Change Everything
When Sadie delivered another litter in January, the urgency intensified. Newborn puppies outdoors in winter face serious risks.
Rescuers removed the puppies hours before the ice storm struck and rushed them to fosters for bottle-feeding.
In one creative attempt to lure Sadie into the Missy trap, English placed her phone inside and played recordings of puppy cries.
Sadie responded by grabbing the phone, running off — and burying it.
Still, the team didn’t give up.
Four days later, volunteers successfully captured Sadie in the reinforced trap. When she tried climbing out, a zip-tied soccer net secured the top. Once transferred into a crate, English locked the door with carabiners to ensure no more escapes.
A Safe Reunion
That night, Sadie arrived safely at her foster home. The next morning, she reunited with her puppies.
English chose not to attend the reunion.
“It was probably best I wasn’t there,” she joked. “Since I’m like Cruella de Vil to her … I’ve taken all of her puppies, captured her twice.”
The entire family is now in the care of Marleigh’s Friends Rescue.
Over the past three weeks, they’ve been cuddling, exploring and adjusting to indoor life. The puppies — about 6 weeks old — have begun receiving medical care and will be vaccinated and spayed or neutered before adoption.
As for Sadie, she’s slowly learning that humans can be trusted.
“She’s brilliant,” English said. “I swear she’s a mastermind.”
After months of close calls and clever escapes, the street-smart mama is finally safe — and this time, she’s staying.