On February 2, many St. Albans citizens noticed a large goldendoodle running through town with police cars in tow. BFA Guidance Counselor Mrs. Stephanie Hodgeman’s dog, Layla, escaped and was frantically searching for her recently deceased brother, Chico. 

Chico, the same age as Layla, got sick from a tick bite on Christmas Eve and eventually passed away, leaving his sister alone. Layla has severe separation anxiety and was constantly glued to her brother’s side; they were best friends, living together for nine years. Chico, ever the fighter, battled the sickness for six weeks before he had to be put down. 

Chico was Layla’s protector, and without him, she didn’t know what to do. Stephanie said that “the attachment and the grief” were too much for the gentle dog, who ran around town for over three hours. 

The St. Albans City Facebook page was alit with almost 2,000 people posting about her location as people became aware of the situation. Cars followed Layla; people brought dog treats to try to catch her and calm her down. Despite the community’s efforts, Layla was still at large: “She was so scared, she was just running,” Mrs. Hodgeman said sadly. She wasn’t alerted until after school ended that it was, in fact, her dog that was running through town. Eventually, with the help of a few other people, including Karen Ruchleau, who stopped traffic, Mrs. Hodgeman caught Layla and brought her home safely.

Thinking back fondly, Mrs. Hodgeman smiled as she mentioned that the involvement of the community “gave [her] great hope for the future.” As one of BFA’s guidance counselors, she takes part in a lot of community service, but watching people try to catch her dog was a positive reminder of how much people care and how loving the St. Albans community is. 

Now, Layla is safely recovering and is spending much more time with her owners. Mrs. Hodgeman brings her everywhere she can: “I’m doing a lot of community service…she’s really enjoying going places with me.”