Nobody likes a change in schedule or routine, especially not Missy, a spirited Siberian husky mix. When her owner planned a vet appointment instead of her usual Monday daycare visit, Missy had other ideas. She took things into her own paws, digging her way out from under the gate of her yard in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. She followed the same route and made it to the daycare just before 11 am, covered in mud but ready to play with her friend Shaggy.
Daycare Staff Were Shocked
Missy's home was only a few blocks away. When daycare staff saw her running loose in the car park, they immediately let her in. "We were basically like, 'Oh my gosh, what are you doing here?!' We couldn't believe that she came on her own," the staff members told USA TODAY. But for Missy, it was nothing out of the ordinary. "What stood out most was how she was just acting like it was a regular day. She showed up like, 'Hey guys, I'm here! Sorry, I'm late!" they recalled. They described Missy as energetic and loving to play with other dogs. Soon after Missy showed up, the staff called her owner.
The Great Escape
Missy's owner, Heath Hrappstead, later shared the full story of her great escape. "The way it all started was, I went to work in the morning, and usually she gets ready with me, and we take off on the bike. I ride the bike there, and then I come back and go to work. But that day, she ended up staying at home. I could tell from the whimper she was very upset with me that I decided to leave without her," Hrappstead told CBC. Hrappstead's partner left Missy in the yard, and that's exactly when the husky plotted the whole jailbreak. "She ended up getting a call from Spot's Place because Missy had dug her way out under the back gate and ran and took herself to daycare. It sounded like she just followed the route that we normally take in the morning with the bicycle," Hrappstead said.
Missy attends the daycare from Monday to Friday and knows the route very well. It turns out, this isn't her first jailbreak either. "This is the second time she got out. It was the same kind of deal, but she didn't dig her way out last time. She just managed to get through the gate. So I've got to do a little more reinforcing."
Anything for Her Friend!
Missy's mischief was all for reuniting with her friends at the daycare. "She was full of mud, obviously, because she had a little escape journey," staffer Mackenzie Hoffman said. Missy was happy to find her BFF Shaggy, another dog at the daycare. "So we're like, 'Perfect, she gets to see Shaggy.' We're like, 'They probably want to see each other. She came all the way to see Shaggy,'" the staffer added. Explaining further about Missy and Shaggy's friendship, Hoffman said, "They kind of hit it off right off the bat. They do have other friends here, but they definitely gravitate to each other the most."
Missy joined the daycare four years ago. "She used to come twice a week when she had a brother, and then he passed on. So then they started bringing her every day to help with her grieving process," the staff said. After the little adventure, Missy returned home safe and happy.
