Gerrish set a cage trap in the area near where Nikki was last seen, using raw chicken as bait. Gerrish set the trap so the wind would carry the scent in the general direction he believed the dog was living. He also hung a trail camera nearby to monitor the trap and surrounding woods. Knowing that Nikki had been trained with German commands, Gerrish also played a loud video of German dog commands on his phone before departing in hopes of catching her attention.
Within a half an hour of Gerrish leaving the spot, the camera captured Nikki eating the raw chicken. The trap worked and secured the Malinois, who was unharmed from her weeks in the woods and the trap. Gerrish and Port St. Lucie Animal Control returned to the site and collected the trap.
“I was over the moon excited. My heart was pumping,” Gerrish told WPBF of hearing the news. “It’s a feeling I could never describe to anybody, to know that we might have her safe tonight.”
Gerrish returned to Malak’s home with Nikki in tow.
After returning Nikki to Malak, Gerrish went the extra mile and patched the hole in Malak’s fence to avoid any future issues, although he wouldn’t accept any money, Malak told WPBF.
“I have to find some way to thank him,” he said.
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But Gerrish seemed rewarded enough by witnessing Nikki and Malak back together again..
“I don’t think I’ve ever experienced anything like that prior in my life,” Gerrish said. “To see that reunion, it was amazing.”