Lost West Roxbury Dog Finds Way Home After 2-Mile Trek to Arboretum

A West Roxbury dog who went missing Tuesday morning found her way home after wandering off near the Arnold Arboretum in the Roslindale area. 

The rescue dog, a 2-year-old Shepherd named Sasha, was reported missing early Tuesday morning when she escaped from her home on Stratford Street, according to Shirley Walsh, owner of Kalembar Dune and Fairview Corner in West Roxbury. 

"She is a rescue dog that my daughter got over Easter weekend," Walsh said. "She really hasn't been with the family a long time. She escaped and we drove all around, and getting towards night time we had been getting concerned."

After posting the news to Facebook, Walsh said her friends kept her posted with sightings of Sasha near the Roslindale end of the Arnold Arboretum, about a two-mile trek from their Stratford Street home in West Roxbury. 

"We put her up on Facebook, and there was a wonderful outpouring of support," Walsh said. "The word went viral. It was just an amazing outpouring of support." 

Walsh and her family ventured to the Arboretum to try to retrieve Sasha, but being a rescue dog and new to the area, she was timid and would not allow anyone to come near her, Walsh said. 

"The poor thing was just in a state," she said. 

Attempts to rescue Sasha went late into the night and were unsuccessful, she added. Then, early Wednesday morning, Walsh went out to the back of her house, where she'd placed Sasha's bed in case she returned, and sure enough, there she was, waiting on the back stoop.

"I was very impressed," Walsh said.