In November, Coco's Heart Dog Rescue took in four canine brothers who had been roaming free in North Dakota. Numerous scars and injuries served as proof that each dog had been living outside for quite some time.

"They clearly didn't have humans who treated them well," said Lauren Byrd. She opened her home to foster Hobbes, one of the dogs

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On Dec. 11, Byrd drove Hobbes to the home of a family in Northfield, where he began his new life — until he ran away.

Hobbes' new family enlisted the Retrievers, a volunteer group based in Minneapolis that helps find lost and missing dogs. Tara Morrison, a volunteer with the Retrievers, became Hobbes' case manager.

Morrison and her team tried using food, scent trails of liquid smoke as well as blankets and towels used by the Byrd family to draw Hobbes in. When temperatures dropped, bringing Hobbes home became even more urgent. That, combined with the fact that Hobbes began returning to the same location several times, was enough to convince Morrison and her team to try using a humane kennel to capture him. ...