Golden Beach’s Gwen Gray leads a dedicated group reuniting lost dogs – like Caloundra greyhound Spud – with their owners. Here’s how she became a key figure in protecting our vulnerable four-legged friends.

“Mum! At Last”

When Gwen Gray hears the words, “they’ve found him,” she doesn’t believe it at first.

For six agonising days in October 2022, her 15-year-old golden retriever, Gomez, is lost in Buderim’s dense bushland.

Deaf and arthritic, Gomez wanders from Gwen’s property after she accidentally leaves the garage door open when returning from a shopping trip.

What follows is a community effort like no other – a 50-person search involving drones, scent trails, and sheer determination.

The moment Gomez is found is one Gwen says she will carry with her forever.

“When I saw him, he lifted his head and wagged his tail,” Gwen says.

“It was as though he was saying, ‘Mum! At last!’” she recalls, through tears.

But as she kneels beside him, the uncertainty of what will come next begins to settle in.

A Community United

Gwen’s search for Gomez begins with a frantic call to her son and a plea on social media on 10 October 2022.

“When we realised he was missing, we set up a Facebook page. At the time, it was called Searching for Gomez,” she says.

“Within hours, strangers with torches and utes were combing the bushland behind my house. People I’d never met before showed up, determined to help.”

With mobility issues of her own, the 72-year-old is thwarted by the Buderim terrain in her own efforts to join the search.

“Here was an elderly woman looking for an elderly dog – I was frantic,” she says.

Concerned dog lovers from all over Australia, the UK, New Zealand, and the United States join the community – all desperate for news about any sightings of Gomez.

But as the first night of his disappearance falls, it is difficult to hold out hope.

Within 24 hours the search party has grown to 50, with people braving snakes, ticks, and leeches to navigate the treacherous terrain.

Gwen is overwhelmed by the kindness of strangers.

“I’d hear people say, ‘I had a retriever growing up,’ or, ‘I know what it’s like to lose an old dog.’ Everyone wanted to help to find Gomez.”

A Race Against Time

As the days stretch on, hope begins to waver.

By day three, the searchers have covered nearly every accessible part of the bushland, but Gomez remains elusive.

Volunteers bring thermal imaging drones and search at night, while a local scent-tracking expert offers to assist.

“It was so dense and unforgiving, but people just kept going – all for a dog they didn’t even know and a woman they’d never met.”

“The power of the community’s love for a vulnerable dog was so overwhelming.”

Gwen’s Facebook page, Remembering Gomez, helps to connect owners of missing dogs with search parties across the Sunshine Coast.

The team were involved in the recent return of runaway former racing greyhound Spud, who spent 10 days in Caloundra bushland after being spooked by New Year’s fireworks.

Finding Gomez

By day six, Gwen is physically and emotionally drained.

“We had actually been told by an animal communicator that Gomez was by water and an old log, and the communicator said they were sending him energy to stay alive,” she says.

“When I mentioned this to one of our trackers, he said, ‘I know where that spot is, but last time I went there, Gomez wasn’t there.'”

“A team of three decided to go down into the thick bushland to that spot to check again, just in case the animal communicator was right.”

“When they got to the spot, there he was, by water, lying next to an old log – it was a miracle.”

“I was shaking when I heard the words, ‘They’ve found him.’ I didn’t know if he’d be alive or…” She chokes back tears.

“I just needed to see him, no matter what.”

A team effort

Getting Gomez out of the bush is no easy task.

Going back up the incline is out of the question so a makeshift stretcher, crafted from sticks and a sarong, carries him down the hill.

The rescue team is forced to negotiate with a nearby brothel for access to their property, where they finally reach the car waiting to rush Gomez to the emergency vet.

“The moment he saw me, you could just see the relief he felt to be found,” Gwen says.

The emergency vet at Tanawha was on standby and the race was on to get Gomez the medical attention he desperately needed.

“We drove to the vet with no seatbelts – all of us just piled in, loving on him. He was weak, but he was so grateful – he just wanted my touch.”

“When they lay him on the table, they could barely get a heartbeat,” Gwen says.

“They were saying to me that they couldn’t get reflexes in his legs and I was reasoning that he had arthritis and maybe that was the cause but then the vet just looked at me.

“There were no words, just a look that said everything.

“They the vet put a purple velvet blanket over him and we stayed with him – it was as good as you could have hoped for in that moment – we got to say goodbye.”

The Legacy of Gomez

Though Gomez doesn’t survive, his story sparks something extraordinary.

Gwen’s Facebook group, Remembering Gomez, is now a 1,300-strong community dedicated to helping vulnerable dogs and their owners.

Gwen has also penned a book – Searching for Gomez.

His loss was devastating, but it also brought her a newfound purpose.

“Gomez taught me so much about love and resilience. He’s gone, but his spirit is in every dog we help.”