Newly Returned Resident Loses Dog, Finds Neighbors

The mystery of missing Scooby ends with happy reunion after storm-hindered search

Chances are you know the song:

Scooby Dooby Doo, where are you?

We got some work to do now.

The Saturday morning cartoon anthem became a real mystery this spring for Max Golman and his new Preston Hollow neighbors — one without a villain to unmask at the end.

After a late-night Mavs game, Golman returned to find his dog Scooby had escaped the house and crawled through a hole under the fence. The following week was a whirlwind of activity as he and his neighbors worked through an unexpected storm to find the missing dog. 

Golman grew up in the area but had just moved back after living in San Antonio. On May 26, barely moved in, he put his dogs in the laundry room for the night only to return to find his younger dog, Scrappy (also named after a fictional mystery-solving-dog), alone. 

Even at 11 p.m. that night, Golman sprang into action, designing and printing signs to hang up the following morning. The community rallied, putting up hundreds of signs as neighbors of all ages trekked on foot and bikes to spread the word. 

That night, however, severe thunderstorms and hail tore down all the signs and frightened the community over Scooby’s safety.

“It was super scary to think about,” Golman said. “You know, Scooby’s my son.” 

 The search became more difficult, as the power outages and debris made travel and communication much harder. 

Undeterred, Golman and the community printed out nearly 1,000 laminated signs and handmade another 200. 

“If someone was entering the neighborhood I wanted them to know about it; if someone was leaving the neighborhood I wanted them to know about it,” Golman said. 

He even hired a pet detective with drones in hopes of expediting the process.

“It was definitely a unique experience,” he said. Eventually, he got a call about a sighting and drove over to talk to the neighbors in the area. 

As he was talking to a resident, Scooby came walking out of nearby bushes and over to Golman. Golman hugged his dog and the neighbors then headed to a vet. 

Luckily, Scooby was OK, and clients in the lobby even recognized the dog and celebrated his return. 

With concern about Scooby’s situation ingraining itself into the community, the dog has become somewhat of a local celebrity. 

As Golman picked up signs on the way back home, “people would honk their horns and celebrate. I got so many texts from so many people asking about Scooby. Everyone kept saying, ‘You know, this is a dog community.’” 

Golman is grateful for the support.

“Without it, we wouldn’t have found Scooby,” he said. “It’s certainly a way to get to know your neighbors.”