Dog Missing For Months Is Spotted In Troy: Help Bring McKenzie Home For Thanksgiving

TROY (WWJ) - A Troy woman has spent $4,000 and nearly five months trying to find her lost dog. Now, all 33-year-old Cynthia Booth wants is her baby home for Thanksgiving, and she might have a little bit of luck on her side after a few dog sightings.

Booth, who lives near Long Lake and Rochester roads in Troy, rescued her dog McKenzie in 2012. The 5-year-old Treeing Walker Coonhound was abandoned by her original owners and ended up in a shelter, where she grew very afraid of people. In an effort to help her trust humans more, Booth says she brings her four-legged friend with her everywhere she goes.

This summer, on June 22, Booth was visiting friends in Ferndale, so she brought McKenzie along to improve on her socialization skills. But around 10 p.m., someone in the neighborhood lit off firecrackers, which sent McKenzie into full panic mode.

"She hopped the fence, got spooked and took off," Booth told WWJ's Laura Bonnell.

Booth searched the neighborhood, but found no signs of McKenzie. Heartbroken, she returned home. Days later, Booth heard about a dog sighting near her home that matched the description of McKenzie. She searched and searched and searched, but still couldn't find her baby.

Days turned to weeks as Booth posted fliers on every corner and asked neighbors for help finding McKenzie. She also notified animal control and police, who actually found McKenzie on two occasions but she ran from them. At this point, Booth was hearing word of at least three sightings of McKenzie a week, but she never found her for herself.

"They think she's been following garbage days a little bit," said Booth. "The city of Troy has a lot of restaurants where she might be dumpster diving."

Weeks started to turn to months. Then police told Booth she had to remove her lost dog posters from public property, citing a code violation. Booth was devastated. As she took the signs down, people unfortunately thought McKenzie had been found and Booth's phone stopped ringing.

But she wasn't giving up hope. Booth turned to social media and started posting McKenzie's picture everywhere. She created a Facebook page for McKenzie and set up a donation page to help fund search parties. She even hired a professional lost dog searcher who set up nearly two dozen cameras around Troy with feeding stations in wooded areas.

"I have a live trap ready to try to actually catch her once she's caught on camera," said Booth.

Even though the dog finder hasn't been able to catch McKenzie, she has been able to establish a pattern of behavior. Booth believes McKenzie could be somewhere in Troy, on the west side of I-75, from anywhere between Rochester/Maple all the way to just south of Square Lake/Adams. And the latest sighting was made just a couple of days ago.

Booth says McKenzie seems to be stuck in survival mode and is avoiding people. She is staying off main roads for the most part, traveling through back yards, and is especially good at keeping out of sight.

Booth is asking anyone who lives in the area or who is willing to help search for McKenzie to keep her phone number handy in case they spot her -- 586-604-6555. If you see McKenzie, do not approach her. Booth says she is very timid and if someone tries to get her, she will run. If you do see McKenzie, take a photo if you can, note your location and call Booth as soon as possible -- day or night.

"She's kind of built like a Greyhound with a beagle face, a big hound face," Booth says of McKenzie. "I just want her back. Having a get-together at Thanksgiving with McKenzie there, I would be so grateful and thankful for anybody that would have any information for that to make that happen."