Firefighter chases dog and both are missing 411?

a reply to: deadeyedick
Bears, those dudes have insane noses.
That goes with animals in the vicinity though, I wouldn't expect a bear to smell a vacuum sealed food package from 10 miles away and they already asked whose footprints those are

originally posted by: EyesOpenMouthShut
...Having seen the terrain, the barefoot thing might be more along the lines of were his feet conditioned enough to comfortably walk around without shoes.
If yes, he could walk with no issue, but if not then why would he even attempt it?

In saying "Having seen the terrain", are you saying that you know where they were when the dog disappeared?
If so - do you have coordinates? (and would you mind passing them along?)
I am of the opinion that we would be better off, if we still walked barefooted.
If, though, he was most accustomed to wearing shoes/boots/sandals...a lot of the terrain in that general vicinity looks quite treacherous, to me.
And - I agree - if he was not very comfortable in bare feet...why even attempt it once the terrain proved difficult.

a reply to: WanDash
I forget who posted it but there are coordinates and links a number of pages back

Just a theory: Maybe the area Herdman's friend said they "had set up camp" isn't the actual place where they set up camp. Maybe it was set up to look like it after the fact. They could be searching the wrong area altogether. It's possible the guy (Herdman) never was there to start with (perhaps he never made it to the area). That could be why the dog is just running around confused because he was taken out there and let loose. Are we 100% positive those footprints belong to Herdman?

a reply to: Staroth
while its not impossible, its improbable since these thoughtful plans generally only happen in the movies.
The guy is disappeared and there is no evidence to suspect murder.

a reply to: EyesOpenMouthShut

I wouldn't throw out Staroth's theory just yet.
There are a lot of people out there with above average intelligence, good planning skills, and who have read enough Dean Koontz books to know how to dispose of a body.

I'm not saying the friend did it, I'm just saying anything is still possible at this point.

It does worry me that there hasn't been any new update yet.

The dog Duke was just found! More

a reply to: EyesOpenMouthShut

The guy is disappeared and there is no evidence to suspect murder.

Exactly! So it's anyone's guess. Thank you.

a reply to: Staroth

That's great news.
Now they need to find Mike next.
Finally something good is happening in this horrible scenario.

a reply to: EyesOpenMouthShut
Thanks.
Unless the coordinates give more than the Trailhead, and Sulfur Mtn/Peak...I've not seen anything specific.
Likewise - the reporting on what actually happened is crossed from one source to the next (as roadgravel has noted)...
In one - they were walking along a/the creek when the dog bolted.
In another, they had set up camp on Sespe Creek and were hiking along the trail near Squaw Flat Rd (which would be 1/2 to more than 1 mile east of the creek, and 1,000 or more feet difference in elevation) when the dog took off...
And, in still another...the dog took off 'while' they were setting up camp (which should mean that they were still near Sespe Creek).
And finally, the dog-sightings purportedly took place another mile+ north-northwest of either of these places, and another 2,000' climb in elevation.

So - I'm just saying that, "where-exactly" this took place would give us a better clue as to whether the decision to go & continue a search for the dog would have been "insane" or "possibly reasonable".

a reply to: Rainbowresidue

It baffles me how someone without shoes just ran off to look for a dog can vanish that fast and without a trace. Even if something happened to him I would think by now they would have found something. He couldn't be that far in that terrain without shoes. You have many searchers and helicopters and no sign of the man who went barefooted looking for his dog...I highly doubt the man is going to go on a full blown mile hike searching for Duke, he would have turned back and got shoes on or had some communications with his friend about the situation. Whatever happened to him happened near where he was camping (if he was even ever there) and still not one sign?
It just doesn't add up to me.

a reply to: Staroth
NBCLosAngeles.com says Duke was found in/around the parking lot where Herdman's vehicle "had been parked".
That suggests that the dog covered a lot of territory between Thursday's sighting, and today.
The dog was not found by the 'search teams', but by 'good samaritans'...

Gotta wonder - if the dog had been hanging around Sulfur Peak for a couple of days...why he left that area and returned to his starting place?

a reply to: WanDash
I agree the details are dicey, we all know reporters never get the story straight until it unfolds.
But given the areas mentioned, the areas also surrounding and sat image along with ground level photos, for me, a person who has conditioned feet, that terrain looks reasonably comfortable.
However, if he took off barefoot down a creek, that's not easy to do quickly.

a reply to: WanDash

The dog picked up his masters scent back to the parking lot.
That doesn't explain why the dog didn't find his master in the forest though.

a reply to: EyesOpenMouthShut

I'm not a dog expert (cat owner) so I have to ask.
Would a dog leave his dead or injured owner behind and return to the starting point in hopes of being found by his other owner?

a reply to: Rainbowresidue
That depends on the dog.
Some of the more loyal ones have been known to stay near their masters body for days.

originally posted by: Staroth
a reply to: Rainbowresidue

It baffles me how someone without shoes just ran off to look for a dog can vanish that fast and without a trace. Even if something happened to him I would think by now they would have found something. He couldn't be that far in that terrain without shoes. You have many searchers and helicopters and no sign of the man who went barefooted looking for his dog...I highly doubt the man is going to go on a full blown mile hike searching for Duke, he would have turned back and got shoes on or had some communications with his friend about the situation. Whatever happened to him happened near where he was camping (if he was even ever there) and still not one sign?
It just doesn't add up to me.

These are legitimate questions, given the information in hand.
I have not seen a confirmation that the footprint/s found was/were positively identified as Herdman's.
I can understand two people going in search of a dog that ran off... I can understand them separating by agreement...but I don't see how one with shoes would/could have lost track of the one without shoes...unless, again, they agreed to separate to cover more territory.
I don't want to cast suspicion on anyone...and, of course, qualify my questions with the inadequacies inherent in the published reports...but ...I don't think it's looking good for Herdman...though I continue to hold hope, otherwise.

a reply to: WanDash

Good point!

a reply to: EyesOpenMouthShut

The dog picked up his masters scent back to the parking lot.
That doesn't explain why the dog didn't find his master in the forest though.

Excellent point!!!

This whole story is so puzzling. So something must have spooked the dog quite a bit for it to just run off like that. Mike must have been very devoted to his dog, so he didn't take the time to put on shoes or go back and get anything. It just seems odd that he would run off that far into the woods in bare feet. I imagine in an area like that, even for an experienced hiker, there would be so many things sticking up from the ground that could really do a number on someone in bare feet. If he was in a hurry, he may have stepped on something very sharp, twisted his ankle, fell and hit his head on the ground. There are any number of things that could have happened. It's so sad. I hate to say it, but I don't think they're gonna find this guy. It seems the dog is very confused, and I don't think he'll be able to lead them to his master.