Harper’s Hero: Ferguson reunites dog with owner

What seemed to be a normal occurrence, proved to be something much

different for lock and dam operator Jeff Ferguson when his dog alerted

him to something unusual in the distance.

“Cora usually barks at the fox den near the lock and dam operations building,” Ferguson said. “But this was different, it was a small, dark figure that looked like a dog.”

The head operator at Lower St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam took to social

media to search lost dogs in Minneapolis. In his search, he stumbled

across a photo of Harper, a pug/Boston-terrier mix with dark coloring that

matched the dog Ferguson spotted at the dam. Harper had been inside an

SUV when it was stolen from Hudson, Wisconsin. While the car was found

and the suspect was apprehended, Harper was still missing for 28 days

before Ferguson and Cora found her. A Facebook group, Harper’s Heroes,

garnered over 2,500 followers that were eagerly awaiting news of Harper.

Ferguson immediately contacted the dog’s owner, Justin Inman.

“I don’t want to get your hopes up, but I have a dog back here that looks

an awful lot like yours,” Ferguson said to the owner. Inman took a chance

and drove out to Minneapolis to meet Ferguson.

“I just brought the flashlight up and shined right on Harper’s face,” Inman

said, “I mean, I’ve been waiting 28 days for this moment to happen.”

Inman immediately took Harper to the vet where she was deemed okay

other than being underweight.

“When we got home, it was pretty much lights out for the next two days,”

Inman continued. The story was picked up by Fox 9 News, who interviewed Ferguson and Inman.

Ferguson said he was grateful that Cora alerted him something was on

the cliff; he rewarded his dog with a ribeye steak. He said, “I’m just glad

we were able to find Harper’s owner and that she’s home safe and sound

now.”

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