Search and Rescue Mission

So this morning, I hear the panicked cry of my daughter (whose hamster Diana just passed away a month ago), "Daddy, Gracie's not in her cage."
Gracie joined the family a week after Diana passed away and as she's so new to the home, we've been super careful with her. Or so I thought.

"She's probably in the lower level (of her cute little triplex apartment.)

"No, she's not."

My daughter is pretty accurate at things like this, so I rushed over and found that Gracie was indeed gone. Lo and behold, the habitat was empty. No Gracie.
I checked the lock on the little "petting zone" at the top of the cage. It was not locked. The little critter had just pushed the door and walked out.

Oh no, I thought. We can't lose another hamster. The door had been shut, so there was no way she'd gotten out of the room, but I searched around nonetheless.

"All right," I said to my daughter, "You're going to be late for school and I still have to pack your lunch. Get yourself ready, and I'll be back to search. Nobody open this door!"

Off we went to our duties. I did the quickest lunch packing ever, then rushed up to the room with my flashlight.

My wife, who was going to drive my daughter to school even came into the room to help.

Tempting Gracie with the sound of food in her bowl, she finally came out of hiding--behind a huge bookshelf that I could not move without risking killing her. After a few failed attempts, I grabbed Gracie in my hand, and this time she didn't squirm and run off. She recognized my grip and relaxed, allowing me to carry her back to her cage.

Mission accomplished.

I was even able to tell my daughter that we got Gracie back before she left for school.

This was the second recent scare with losing a pet. Last year we thought we lost our beloved Kangadog. Thank God they were both found before too long.  When I was a child, my cat had been lost and never seen again.  I remember how heartbroken I'd felt as a kid in elementary school, so I have a soft spot for kids and their pets.

Have you ever lost a pet, and had them returned? What were those hours/days before they were found like for you? Please share in the comments section below.