Missing Great Dane Blue Returns Home After Six-Day Search United Dothan
Blue, a black-and-white Great Dane with one blue eye and one green eye, disappeared after getting scared by drums at a concert in Dothan. Six days later, the dog so many people had been watching for was back with his family, ending a search that drew in neighbors, first responders and strangers across the Wiregrass.
Blue vanished at a concert
Blue went missing on Sept. 3 while his family was at a concert at Porter Park near the Dothan Civic Center. His owner, Elizabeth Ludlum Enfinger, said the Great Dane was frightened by drums and ran off.
From there, the search widened fast. Enfinger used social media to ask people to watch for him, and sightings were reported from places including Headland Avenue and the area near the Houston County Sheriff’s Office.
She told people Blue was not aggressive, but that he was scared and might be hiding instead of approaching anyone. She also shared details that would make him easy to recognize: Blue is a black-and-white Harlequin Great Dane, and his eyes are different colors. She added one practical note that dog lovers immediately understood could help bring him in safely. Blue, she said, is highly motivated by food.
Why this dog’s family was so desperate to find him
For Enfinger’s family, this was not only about a beloved pet being away from home. She said they had cared for Blue since he was 4 weeks old and had bottle-fed him after his mother could no longer feed him.
Blue also had a serious medical history. According to Enfinger, he went through multiple surgeries after complications from a gastropexy procedure when he was 9 months old. He later received treatment at Auburn, where part of his colon was removed.
Because of that history, Blue needs special food and special care. Enfinger also described just how sheltered his normal routine is. She said he is closely attached to her, has his own bedroom with a couch and a TV, and had never slept outside.
As people across Dothan learned more about him, the search became more personal. Enfinger thanked the Dothan Police Department and Dothan Fire Department for helping look for Blue, saying they treated the effort with the same urgency they would bring to finding a child. Online, thousands of people shared his photo and information, keeping his face in front of as many people as possible.
Attorney Benjamin Irwin joined the effort and offered a $2,000 reward for Blue’s safe return. He said the search brought together people from different backgrounds and income levels around one simple goal: getting Blue home. He also said that while he believes people are naturally good, a reward can give more people a reason to pay close attention.
A troubling message, a lucky break and Blue’s way home
The search took an upsetting turn when Enfinger shared screenshots of messages from someone claiming Blue was inside their home and safe. The person agreed to meet, then asked whether she would pay $70 for their trouble.
Enfinger refused and asked for proof. The exchange ended with a message claiming to have Blue and warning that her response would get the dog hurt. Nothing in the messages showed that person actually had Blue, and the episode appeared to be an attempt to take advantage of a family trying to find its dog.
Even so, the search kept moving. Irwin said hundreds of people spent days reposting Blue’s photo, driving roads, walking through wooded areas, checking cameras and speaking with neighbors. On Thursday, the effort also included Joshua H. Behringer and Wiregrass Thermal Drone Solutions.
The break finally came from Headland Avenue. Irwin said Blue was found by Andrew Birge, a disabled veteran who had seen the posts and knew the community was searching for the dog. Birge had prayed the night before for some financial help. On Thursday, Blue turned up in the woods behind Birge’s home.
Before anyone could make the reunion official, Blue apparently helped himself to one of Birge’s chickens. Birge then discovered that the dog in his yard was the same Great Dane people all over Dothan had been trying to locate.
Irwin later met Birge at Cherry & Irwin Law and gave him the $2,000 reward. He also announced that Blue and Enfinger had been reunited.
For dog lovers, Blue’s story has the kind of ending that sticks. A frightened dog with special needs made it home. A family’s plea traveled far beyond their own circle. And in the middle of the worry, a city full of people kept looking until somebody finally found the giant, unmistakable dog everyone had been hoping to see again.
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