A Dog's Daring Journey

A dog named Bobbie wandered the streets. He was lost, scared, and alone.

It was August 1923. A week and a half earlier, Bobbie had set off on a road trip with his owners, Frank and Elizabeth Brazier. They left their home in Silverton, Oregon. They drove 2,500 miles to Wolcott, Indiana, to visit family. Bobbie watched as mountains and forests sped by.

The Braziers got to Wolcott and stopped at a gas station. Suddenly, a group of dogs appeared and chased Bobbie. He ran away and became lost.

Frank and Elizabeth looked everywhere. But there was no sign of Bobbie. Back then, it wasn’t common for a dog to wear a tag on his collar. And there wasn’t technology to find missing pets. 

Eventually, the Braziers had to return to Oregon. They told their daughters, Nova and Leona, the terrible news.

Bobbie was now thousands of miles away from Silverton. Would he ever find his way back home?

A dog named Bobbie walked through the streets. He was lost and scared. He was alone.

It was August 1923. A week and a half earlier, Bobbie went on a road trip. He was with his owners, Frank and Elizabeth Brazier. They left their home in Silverton, Oregon. They drove 2,500 miles to see family in Wolcott, Indiana. Bobbie watched mountains and forests go by. 

The Braziers got to Wolcott. They stopped at a gas station. A group of dogs appeared. The dogs chased Bobbie. He ran away and became lost. 

Frank and Elizabeth looked everywhere. But there was no sign of Bobbie. Back then, most dogs didn’t wear tags on their collars. There wasn’t technology to find a missing pet. 

The Braziers finally had to return to Oregon. They told their daughters, Nova and Leona, the bad news. 

Bobbie was now thousands of miles away from Silverton. Would he ever find his way back home?

A dog named Bobbie was on a road trip in 1923. His owners, Frank and Elizabeth Brazier, lived in Oregon. They drove 2,500 miles to Indiana. 

The Braziers made a stop. A group of dogs showed up and chased Bobbie away. He became lost. The Braziers couldn’t find Bobbie. Finally, they had to go home. 

Bobbie was now far from Oregon. Would he ever find his way back?

You’re probably thinking “No way!” After all, dogs can’t read street signs or ask for directions. 

But animals like Bobbie have amazing powers that help them navigate where they’re going. Navigating helps animals remember where to get food and water. It helps them find places to hide from enemies. Navigating helps animals stay alive.

Some creatures stay near home for most of their lives. But others travel long distances. Sea turtles are one example. Baby sea turtles hatch from eggs on the beach. Then they swim out to the ocean. Years later, female turtles swim thousands of miles to the same beach where they were born! How do they find it? They navigate! 

Another example is homing pigeons. They can fly back to their home nests from hundreds of miles away. And they don’t get lost! The birds were used for thousands of years to carry messages. 

Blue whales are skilled navigators too. They travel about 4,000 miles each year as they migrate across the world’s oceans. 

And then there’s the monarch butterfly. Every fall, thousands of them migrate. They fly 3,000 miles from Canada and the U.S. to Mexico. They’ve never been to Mexico before. Yet amazingly, they always find their way.

You’re probably thinking “No way!” Dogs can’t read street signs. They can’t ask for directions. 

But animals like Bobbie have amazing powers. These powers help them navigate where they’re going. Navigating helps animals remember where to get food and water. It helps them find places to hide from enemies. It helps animals stay alive. 

Some animals stay near home for most of their lives. But others travel far away. Sea turtles are one example. Baby sea turtles hatch on the beach. Then they swim out to the ocean. Years pass. Then the female turtles swim back to the same beach where they were born. They swim thousands of miles. How do they find it? They navigate! 

Another example is homing pigeons. They can find their home nests from hundreds of miles away. And they don’t get lost! The birds were used for thousands of years to carry messages. 

Blue whales navigate too. They travel about 4,000 miles each year. They migrate across different oceans. 

And then there’s the monarch butterfly. Every fall, thousands of them migrate. They fly 3,000 miles. They fly from Canada and the U.S. to Mexico. They’ve never been to Mexico before. But they always find their way!

You’re probably thinking “No!” Dogs can’t read signs or ask for help. But animals like Bobbie have amazing powers. They can navigate. Navigating helps animals find food and water. It helps them hide and stay alive.

Some animals navigate to find their way home. Sea turtles swim far away after they are born. Years later, female sea turtles swim back to the same beach where they were born. How do they find it? They navigate!

Other animals find their way by navigating too. Homing pigeons fly to  their home nests from far away without getting lost. Blue whales travel across different oceans. And monarch butterflies fly from Canada and the U.S. to Mexico. They’ve never been to Mexico. But they always find their way!

How do these animals navigate? They use strategies. A homing pigeon looks for landmarks like buildings and rivers. Landmarks help the pigeon find its nest. 

Some animals use their sense of smell. Salmon do this to find their way home. That would be like getting to your grandma’s house by following the smell of her cookies. 

Other animals use stronger senses. They can hear low sounds that humans can’t hear. Or they figure out where to go by looking at the sun, moon, and stars. 

Each of these powers is helpful. But most animals, including dogs like Bobbie, can use more than one.

How do animals navigate so well? Scientists are just starting to figure this out. Some animals use strategies similar to the ones humans use.

For example, maybe you always look for a certain tree on your way to school. When you see that tree, you know where to turn. 

Well, a homing pigeon does the same thing. It looks at landmarks like buildings, mountains, and rivers. The landmarks help the pigeon find its nest. 

Some animals, like salmon, use their sense of smell to find their way home. That would be like getting to your grandma’s house by following the smell of her cookies. 

Other animals use even more powerful senses. They can hear sounds that are too low for humans to hear. Or they can see patterns in sunlight that we can’t see. Some even figure out which way to go by looking at the sun, moon, and stars.

Each of these powers would be helpful on its own. But most animals, including dogs, have more than one. They can switch from one to another as they travel.

How do animals navigate? Scientists are just starting to figure this out. Some animals use strategies. They’re similar to the strategies humans use.

For example, maybe you always look for one tree on your way to school. You see that tree and know where to turn. 

Well, a homing pigeon does the same thing. It looks at landmarks like buildings, mountains, and rivers. The landmarks help the pigeon find its nest. 

Some animals use their sense of smell. Salmon do this to find their way home. That would be like finding your grandma’s house by following the smell of her cookies. 

Other animals use even stronger senses. They can hear low sounds. The sounds are too low for humans to hear. Or they can see patterns in sunlight. Humans can’t see them. Some animals even navigate by looking at the sun, moon, and stars. 

Each of these powers would be helpful on its own. But most animals, including dogs, have more than one. They can switch from one to another as they travel. 

Earth’s core, or center, may also have something to do with how animals find their way. The core acts like a giant magnet. It pulls things toward itself. It’s like a fridge magnet.

Scientists think that many animals can feel this pull. It helps them figure out which way they’re going. These animals include sea turtles, homing pigeons, monarch butterflies . . . and maybe even dogs like Bobbie.

Bobbie was more than 2,500 miles from home. Could he use his powers to find his family?

The Earth’s center is called its core. It may also have something to do with how animals find their way. The core acts like a giant magnet. It pulls things toward itself. It’s like a fridge magnet.

Scientists think that many animals can feel this pull. It helps them figure out where they’re going. These animals include sea turtles, homing pigeons, and monarch butterflies. These animals could even include dogs like Bobbie. 

Bobbie was more than 2,500 miles from home. Could he use his powers to find his family?

Six months after Bobbie went missing, Nova Brazier was walking in town. She noticed a skinny, scruffy dog. He was having trouble walking. He looked like Bobbie. Could it be?

Then the dog saw Nova. He ran toward her and covered her with kisses. It was Bobbie! He had traveled more than 2,500 miles to get home. He had crossed over mountains and rivers. He had braved giant snowstorms. 

Bobbie’s story spread. Parades and events were held for him. Fans showed up to pet him. People gave him gifts. He even starred in a movie about himself!

Many people wrote fan letters to Bobbie at his family’s address. They said they had seen Bobbie during parts of his journey home. Sometimes he had stayed with a family for a meal or to rest. 

Like many other creatures, Bobbie had incredible powers that guided him home. As one person wrote, “He seemed to know where he was going.”

Six months passed after Bobbie went missing. Nova Brazier was walking in town. She noticed a skinny, scruffy dog. He was having trouble walking. He looked like Bobbie. Could it be?

Then the dog saw Nova. He ran toward her and gave her kisses. It was Bobbie! He had walked more than 2,500 miles home. He had traveled over mountains and rivers. He had made it through big snowstorms. 

People heard about Bobbie. Parades and events were held for him. Fans came to pet him. People gave him gifts. And he was in a movie about himself!

Many people wrote fan letters to Bobbie. They said they had seen Bobbie during parts of his journey home. Sometimes he had stayed with a family for a meal or to rest. 

Like many other animals, Bobbie had amazing powers that helped him find home. As one person wrote, “He seemed to know where he was going.”

Six months after Bobbie went missing, a dog walked through the Braziers’ town. It was Bobbie! He had traveled 2,500 miles over mountains and rivers. He had made it through big snowstorms. 

People heard about Bobbie’s story. They held parades and events for him. They gave him gifts and wrote him letters. 

Bobbie had amazing powers that helped him find his way home. One person wrote, “He seemed to know where he was going.”