The year-old, black-and-white pooch had been turned into the Mid-Atlantic English Springer Rescue, after a Maryland breeder could not find homes for all his pups.
Dan Keppler, 43, a volunteer for the rescue group, initially fostered Mollee at his home in Virginia.
On Monday, after the new family adopted Mollie, they stopped to visit relatives in Maryland, about an hour from their home. Mollee bolted into traffic on a busy byway and was nearly hit. She dashed into a residential development bordered with woods.
The rescue group immediately launched an emergency search. Volunteers posted fliers. Local authorities were called. Social media was used, including Facebook and Craig's List. An amber alert for pets was issued.
They scoured the area for hours until darkness put the search off until morning. Lengthy e-mail exchanges among rescue members expressed concern and offered prayers.
Keppler's girlfriend spoke to a physic she knew in Arizona, Kimberly Dumaine, 55.
"Oh my God, I had a dream about a black dog last night," Dumaine told her. Mollie was fine, but scared and hungry. She was near a building, possibly looking for food. She was near a stream. Dumaine said Keppler should know the fliers are important and he should follow his instincts.
Mollee was near and they would find her soon, Dumaine predicted.
Tuesday afternoon, a tipster called because she had seen a flier. Her dog was barking at a stray.
The rescue team mobilized.
Near the woman's house, they discovered a stream Tuesday afternoon. Volunteers fanned the area, quietly calling Mollie.
Keppler spotted a shed and tarp near the stream.
He followed his instincts, recalling the stream and building Dumaine saw in her vision.
"It was like this spidey sense went off ... this is where she is going to be," Keppler said.
There was Mollee. Tired, scared and making no sounds.
Had it not been for the clairvoyant, "we would have walked away and not found her," Keppler said.
A skeptic might note that it seems like common sense to imagine an animal might be near water and possible shelter.
But that doesn't explain the dream, claimed to have preceded the request.
Keppler said he decided to keep Mollee. She will join his pack of three other springers and a golden retriever. The adoptive family will be paired with a new dog, perhaps one more comfortable around strangers.
Contact Barbara Boyer at 856-779-3838, bboyer@phillynews.com or @bbboyer on Twitter.
