Gunther Comes Home

His name is Gunther, but maybe it should be Lassie -- as in Lassie Comes Home because after a 23-day trip, Gunther came home.

Gunther is the beloved pet of the Nelson family in Anderson. Fred Nelson said the family acquired Gunther, a Labrador Retriever/Shar-Pei mix from a no-kill shelter in Springfield in 2007.

"He is a friend to everybody," Nelson said of the 55-pound dog. "He will bark at you the first time he sees you, but after that never again."

Nelson said Gunther is an escape artist, who always seems to think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.

"When we let him out in the yard, the minute you turn your head he is gone," Nelson said. "He either jumps the fence or goes under. We can't keep him in."

But unlike Gunther's latest trip, Nelson had no trouble finding Gunther.

"He was known around because he would get out," Nelson said. "Some people would let me know because they were upset and others would just let me know."

But Gunther's latest adventure came on March 2, which happened the day before Anderson received a six- to eight-inch snow. Maybe the snow threw Gunther's sense of direction off, because for whatever reason, he never made it back home this time.

"We looked everywhere and talked to all the neighbors, but no luck," Nelson said. "I thought maybe he went off somewhere to die."

Nelson said though Gunther has no health problems, he is fairly old. He said is probably 11-14 years old, saying he is not sure because he was an adult dog when the Nelsons got him from the shelter.

"Elijah (Nelson's 13-year-old son) took it the hardest," Fred said. "They had grown up together."

Fred said on March 26 he was in the house when Elijah came running in from outside yelling, "Look who came home! Look who came home"!

"That morning Elijah went out to work in the garden and he had moved one wheelbarrow of stuff when he turned around and there was Gunther," Nelson said. "He was just sitting there. He looked good. Someone had took him in because he hadn't lost a pound. It was obvious he had been fed. I just want to thank whoever did that. I really appreciate it."

He said within five minutes of returning home, Gunther and Elijah assumed their favorite position, with Elijah using Gunther for a pillow.

"The first day we got him, I heard Elijah hollering 'Help! Help!' from the bedroom," Nelson said. "I went in and found Gunther laying on top of Elijah. Now when Elijah lies down, Gunther will lie down behind him so Elijah can use him for a pillow. The first thing he did when he came home was to lie down so Elijah could use him for a pillow. Sometimes three of the kids will lay down and all use Gunther as a pillow."

Nelson said the whole family, which includes his wife Amber and four other children, felt the loss of Gunther, but Elijah took it the hardest.

"I was really worried about Elijah in the long run," Nelson said. "He took it hard, but was trying to act like a grownup. The whole family is ecstatic he is home. He loves everybody. He is part of the family."