Lost dog due to deer chasing

Question
My mother and father "raised a couple of and the sire was a Red Sable with papers and the mother was an all white short haired bitch.  They produced some of the most beautiful dogs you have ever seen.  Albeit  they are not AKA  they have had better traits and are healthier than their parents were.   Getting all past that my dog who was probably the best looking dog and friend a human being could have,..ran away the other morning  chasing deer.  We live in Southwestern Virginia in the mountains.  My question is,..after flyers and checking the local shelters, has produced no results,..a man called and said he seen him near a county line 2 days later.  about 5-7 miles away,..Do u know about  their didtances in scent tracking,..and or could he find his way home by backtracking?  He left Friday morning Dec.21st,..and of all things,..his twin sister died unexpectantly on Christmas day.  2 dogs  for the holiday,..lost...any advice or insight would be appreciated,..signed,..GREIFSTRICKEN

Answer
There are many heart warming stories of dogs returning after being lost.  Since often, we have no idea where the dog was, we don't know how far it traveled.  Too many lost dogs never do return.  Is your dog chipped, or at least have tags?  There is a balance between the dangers of a collar for a dog that runs loose, and the lack of tags.  My friends dog escaped after being stolen.  He wondered a good sized city for weeks never finding his way back home.  One morning a lady found him sleeping on her porch and called the vet's number on his rabies tag.

While the chances of him getting killed on the road are all too good, I wouldn't give up.  Keep looking.  Keep putting ads in the paper and putting up flyers.  Search the area where he was last seen.  Maybe even leave a shirt or something with your scent on it in the area and revisit leaving fresh scent.