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Dixie York didn't think she'd see her dog again when she escaped from the yard through a broken
fence.
It was 10:30 p.m. on Feb. 4, and York had let out the dog, a Boston terrier and pug mix, for the last
time that day. York didn't realize that one of the posts of her wooden fence had rotted and snapped,
leaving a hole large enough for the dog, Zipper, to fit through.
When she opened the door a few minutes later to let Zipper back in, she didn't come. Where was she?
York wondered. Did she get out of the yard? How far could she have gone?
York walked around the neighborhood calling Zipper's name. The next day, she called her neighbors
and went door to door with a picture of the 6-year-old dog. No one had seen her.
"I was frantic," York said. "It was horrible. All I did was wander around and cry. I'm a widow and
she's my buddy."
By the weekend, York had just about given up hope of finding the dog. That's until she heard a car
pull into her driveway that Saturday afternoon, followed by a high-pitched barking sound.
When York opened her front door, she was greeted by Michael Burton, a Millcreek resident who had
been walking his golden retriever, Coach, in nearby Scott Park. While the two were in the park, 4-
month-old Coach tugged Burton about 100 yards off the path.
"It was unusual because he usually heels so well," Burton said. "I didn't know if he was cold or tired
or what was wrong."
Moments later, Coach broke away and headed toward a small, black dog that was running through the
brush. The two played for a few minutes.
Burton said he figured the other dog must have been lost because there wasn't another person or car
in sight. He checked the tags and found out that the dog's name was Zipper and his owner lived about
a quarter of a mile away.
Burton tied Coach up in the back seat of his car and placed Zipper in the front seat. He drove the dog
home and returned her to York.
"I couldn't believe it," York said. "I never thought I would see her again. She ran in the house and
went berserk, like she was saying, 'Oh, boy, I'm glad to be home.'"
York took Zipper to a veterinarian at Erie Animal Hospital who said that she was fine, other than a
few rough spots on her paws from the cold weather and rough terrain.
Until she can get the fence repaired, York will keep Zipper on a leash when she takes her outside.
"I don't want anything like this to happen again," she said.
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