Missing donkey in Berkshire County sparks frantic search effort

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. (NEWS10) -- When a child goes missing, police issue an AMBER Alert. But what happens when a donkey has an encounter with a bear and takes a hike off the farm? In Berkshire County, you get down and dirty and go looking for Murty.

On a normally quiet farm in Lanesborough, you'll find lots of animals that are much more than that.

"At this stage of my life, they're just family."

The star of the bunch is a donkey named Murty, who is normally the first one up for breakfast, but on Sunday morning...

"When I walked in the door and didn't see Murty's little or big ears..."

It set off a panic, especially when Dierdre and Jerry Carter analyzed the crime scene.

"With what I saw in the barn, you know, it looked like there had been a struggle, and it was evident that there had been a bear."

They dashed to the phone.

"So my mom called frantically Sunday morning saying Murty is missing."

Fearing the worst but hoping for the best, it was an all-hands-on-deck donkey quest.

"Two days of searching, no signs at all."

Then Monday night, a drone, flown by Officer Darren Derby, spotted something lost and dirty. It was Murty.

When they approached, he was skittish. That's when Dierdre remembered her secret Murty massage technique.

"Murty loves to have his back scratched, so I just started scratching his back and he calmed down."

Soon, Murty was back where he belonged.

"He got home, he went in his stall, he drank a lot of water. I gave him a lot of his favorite cookies that we are now out of and have to buy more of."

As for Murty, he's safe and sound, no doubt telling tall tales to the other animals of his un-bearable adventure.