Where's Willy? He's home!

COEUR d'ALENE - For eight days, life was miserable for Don and Susan Dubois.

Couldn't sleep. Didn't want to eat. That sick feeling wouldn't go away. They worried. They cried. They wondered.

Where was Willy?

"Our life was turned upside down," Susan said.

Their precious and beloved 10-year-old golden retriever disappeared from their downtown area home on Monday, April 23.

The Duboises launched a frantic search to find the dog that had been a member of their family, their child for all purposes, since he was 6 weeks old.

They posted ads in newspapers and online. Fliers were placed throughout neighborhoods. They offered a $500 reward. They drove and walked Coeur d'Alene's streets and alleys. They biked alleyways, squeezing Willy's favorite squeaky toy in hopes he might hear it and respond. They spread the word to family and friends.

Nothing.

Willy had vanished.

Meantime, Don and Susan anguished over not knowing his fate.

"We really were miserable," she said.

Until Wednesday afternoon.

That's the day Susan, after hearing a story of a local finding another lost dog at Spokanimal, called the Spokane pet adoption center. She described a golden blond, 85-pound retriever with a gray face, longer nose, and a collar.

Yes, the voice on the other end said, they had a golden retriever.

The voice asked what was on the collar, something only the owner would know.

"A pink ribbon," Susan answered.

Correct. As a final step, they sent a photo to Susan. She clicked it open on her phone.

There was sweet Willy.

Her heart, for the first time in days, burst to life.

She and Don sped to Spokane.

"Good thing we didn't run into any police officers," she said, laughing.

When they arrived at Spokanimal, Willy was excited to see them. Back home, he quickly crawled up on his bed. Healthy, but tired.

"He hasn't moved in two days," Susan said.

Susan and Don wonder how Willy ended up in Spokane. Spokanimal officials said he was dropped off by a woman who said she found him. They didn't say where he was found.

Turns out, he was there a week. While his collar was still on, his ID tag was gone.

Susan said Willy could not have walked to Spokane. They had called the Kootenai Humane Society and the Post Falls animal shelter. They hadn't thought to check in Spokane until an associate at US Bank asked Susan if she had found Willy yet, and mentioned a few customers had recovered their dogs at Spokanimal.

Susan said Willy doesn't wander. Even if the gate is open, he won't leave. She said he's scared of two things: thunder, and the chirping of the smoke detector. She said the smoke detector went off the day he disappeared. They think he jumped over a picket fence, or squeezed through the space of a missing plank.

"We think he was trying to get away from that sound," she said.

Don and Susan adopted Willy from a Sun Valley kennel when he was a puppy. He grew to be friendly, fun, and affectionate, an 85-pound lap dog who loved to chase a ball or go for a swim.

"Willy is everybody's friend," she said. "He loves kids, he loves people. He loves other dogs. He dislikes squirrels," she added, chuckling.

He joined the couple everywhere - a ride in the Jeep, camping trips, summer swims, walks. Where you found Don and Susan, you found Willy.

"Willy is our boy," she said.

Susan said she and Don don't have children, so Willy is their family. That's why it hurt so much when he was missing.

"We had the most miserable eight days without him," she said. "We were thinking of all the bad possibilities."

The hardest part was not knowing where Willy was. All they could do was hope and pray he was warm and dry and fed, and had a place to sleep.

"You just want to know he's happy," she said.

Susan praised the community's response to try and track down Willy. They received phone calls with offers of help. People posted Willy's picture on Facebook pages. Strangers dialed and said they were watching out for Willy. One man, unemployed, said he could use $500 and promised to look, too.

"Everyone and their brother knew Willy was missing," she said.

So excited were Don and Susan to have Willy back, they planned a family bonding vacation. Just Don, Susan and Willy, on the road, hanging out, together.

As it should be.

"Our life just wasn't the same," she said. "Now, it's back to normal."