For such a small Chihuahua, Pretty led her owners and local animal control officers on a sizable search through three towns after her escape from an Addison Road backyard March 14.
From there, for six days and five long, often cold nights, the Valente family and their friends followed any potential leads, but Pretty continued to run, spooked by anyone who tried to round her up.
Last Wednesday, the feisty pooch found sanctuary in a Lexington synagogue whose quick-thinking rabbi finally brought an end to her flight.
Early on March 14, Pretty nuzzled her way under a small hole in the fence. Once on the outside, Pretty took off running despite a neighbor's attempt to catch her.
"She just kept running," said Lexington's animal control officer Stephanie Doucette, who was brought into the search and rescue mission by Belmont's animal control officer John Maguranis.
Jude and Joe Valente, along with their son Joe Valente Jr. and his girlfriend Kelly O'Keefe, plastered more than 300 fliers about the dog in Waltham, Belmont and Lexington.
Located in the northeast side of Waltham, Pretty's home turf is just yards from Trapelo Road and a short distance from Lexington and Belmont.
"We were hoping because we had 11 sightings," said Pretty's owner Jude Valente. "She was sort of all over the place and in dangerous areas."
The first sightings were in Belmont and prompted Maguranis to become involved.
At one point, Pretty was spotted running along Rte. 2 in Lexington, said Valente.
Over the course of Pretty's absence, Maguranis scoured Belmont and Lexington.
"He was fabulous helping us. He actually came out in his own vehicle and used his own gas with his own time," said Valente.
Maguranis could not be reached for comment.
The search team eventually narrowed its focus to one area in Lexington.
After dodging cars and making her way to dense woods, Pretty found herself in dangerous territory near April Lane and Kitson Park Drive in Lexington.
"We were warned about the wild animals," said Valente, who was told by animal control officers that coyotes had also been spotted in that area.
After several spottings continued to come in from that same area in Lexington, Maguranis, Doucette and the Valentes met on the morning of March 19 near the intersection of Concord Avenue and Waltham Street.
"We just kind of knew she was there somewhere," said Doucette.
After searching for nearly an hour, it seemed as if their efforts were fruitless. Then both Doucette and Maguranis's cell phones rang simultaneously.
"We were running towards each other yelling, 'We got her! We got her!"' said Doucette.
Rabbi Marci Jacobs of Temple Emunah on nearby Piper Road had coaxed Pretty, whose face she recognized from fliers and conversations with the family, into the synagogue.
Once Jacobs shut the door behind Pretty, the Valente family was reunited with their beloved pet.
"The whole family kept breathing sighs of relief because she's not quite two and she's so little," said Valente.
Now, safely back at home with her family, Pretty seems to be recovering just fine, said Valente.
"She's doing fabulous. She had a few tiny cuts and she had about 8 ticks on her, but other than that she looked great," said Valente.
The five-pound dog lost about a half-pound during her odyssey.
Neither Pretty, nor the family's other pet, Pretty's son, Moxie, are allowed in the backyard unattended anymore, said Valente.
The entire fence has been secured and checked for small holes, she said.
Pretty's disappearance was not the first time the Valentes had to search the woods for a missing family member.
Almost six years ago to the day Pretty was found, daughter Jae Aisha Valente, who was 12 at the time, also wandered off into the woods for nearly 40 hours, said June Valente.
"She was also miraculously found," said Valente. "We've had two miracles in our lifetime."
Kerri Roche can be reached at kroche@cnc.com or 781-398-8009.
