A 15-year-old beagle, the namesake of a hot dog joint in Highlands Ranch, has disappeared and the dog’s owners are searching for him.
Bernie went missing from his family’s backyard sometime late Friday night or early Saturday morning, said Joe Zemla, owner of Bernie’s Hot Dog Co., a two-year-old business named after the dog.
Bernie was let out Friday night, along with another beagle, 11-year-old Maggie, Zemla said.
When Zemla went to let the dogs back in the house Maggie came in, but Bernie didn’t.
Zemla assumed that Bernie wanted to sleep outside, which he had done in the past.
“If they come in we let them sleep in the garage,” Zemla said. “If they don’t want to come in we let them sleep outside — it’s no big deal.”
When Maggie came back in she didn’t seem alarmed about anything and wasn’t acting out of the ordinary, Zemla said.
The back yard of the home, on the 10000 block of Shadecrest Point, also in Highlands Ranch, is fenced, with a 6-foot-tall fence in front and a 3-foot-tall fence in the back.
Zemla’s 9-year-old son went to let Bernie in Saturday morning and discovered that the beagle was gone. There were no indications that Bernie had dug his way out, or had somehow managed to jump or scale a fence.
The backyard backs up to open space. A couple of weeks ago a neighbor’s Chihuahua disappeared, Zemla said.
Could Bernie have fallen victim to a coyote overnight?
The family doesn’t think so because no one heard any commotion and there were no signs of struggle in the yard.
Zemla could not positively say that the yard gate was locked overnight, so Bernie may have wandered off on his own, which he had done in the past during the day, but never at night.
“Neighbors would find him and they’d call: ‘Hey, we got your dog,’ ” Zemla said.
No call came this time.
The Zemla family is posting missing flyers around the neighborhood, Zemla said. They’ve contacted Douglas County animal control and local animal shelters to see if Bernie, who wore a collar and tag, has been found, but so far, no luck.
Anyone who believes they’ve spotted Bernie, or who may have found him, can e-mail details to Zemla at: joe@bernieshotdogs.com.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com.
