Late Monday Update: I can’t tell you how much your dog stories (particularly the my-dog-came-home-weeks-after-disappearing stories), well wishes, good thoughts, and special requests to various and sundry saints have lifted my chin today. There’s been no sign of our sweet Nell yet, but thanks to your kind words, I’ve felt a little less alone in my dog-induced tears today. And most of all, I’ve been able to assure my punks that Nell has lots and lots of people pulling for her. Thank you…
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It’s been over 48 hours since Nell went missing, and almost 48 hours since I first felt the feeling in my gut that something bad had happened to her. Unlike our big, clunky labs, who have always wandered and roamed our ranch and always, always returned—sometimes, up to four or five days after disappearing—Nell, our precious Border Collie, has never once left our homestead alone. She’s never wanted to. Though she’s always had a playful, energetic spirit, she’s also always been utterly content not to roam—to instead relax in her comfy home on our porch, where she stored up all her energy for an afternoon of soccer ball retrieval or water hose adventures or whatever other Border Collie-friendly activity my kids drummed up.
We’ve scoured the immediate acreage around our house, and even beyond, which admittedly gets into needle-in-a-haystack territory, especially considering the grass on the ranch is so tall right now. My biggest fear is that Nell is somehow caught, stuck, in trouble—a thought that’s almost unbearable when I think about how able-bodied and nimble she’s always been. So we’ve looked and we’ve looked—driving through pastures, walking down creeks, calling out her name over and over, hoping to hear a whimper or a bark through the noisy breeze whipping through the ranch. But all the while, I can’t help but hear the voice in my head telling me that if Nell were alive, she’d be home by now.
Tomorrow, I’ll be back to the business of singing Ethel Merman and making fun of the bulging anatomy of Brahman bulls. Today, though, I’ll be pulling out all the stops—calling all the veterinarians in the area, contacting neighbors, anything that will allow me to put off the inevitable recognition that Nell isn’t coming back. And that none of us will ever be able to look at another soccer ball for the rest of our lives.
I realize in the grand scheme of things, this is not the end of the world. Nell’s a dog; not a person. And there are scads of people on earth who have far worse problems than this; I do understand this. But today, for whatever reason, it’s beginning to sting.
And so, because I’ve got Nell on the brain, and because I’m a melodramatic middle child, here are my favorite Nell-related posts:
Pioneer Dog
My Dog’s Ball
Nell, The Pioneer Dog
The Initiation of Hamilton
Early Morning on the Gator
P.S. If Nell shows up on our porch today, I’m gonna look really, really stupid.
P.P.S. Nell, please make me look stupid.
Ree Drummond is the founder of The Pioneer Woman and a lover of butter, basset hounds and life on the ranch! Ree started her blog in 2006, and now millions visit ThePioneerWoman.com every month for her trusted recipes and fun family stories. Here’s what she has been up to since it all began:
New York Times Bestselling Author
Ree has written two memoirs (Black Heels to Tractor Wheels, and Frontier Follies) plus nine bestselling cookbooks:
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl (2009)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from My Frontier (2012)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays (2013)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinnertime (2015)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Come and Get It! (2017)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: The New Frontier (2019)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Super Easy (2021)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinner’s Ready! (2023)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: The Essential Recipes (2025)
Food Network Host
Since 2011, Ree has been sharing simple, family-friendly recipes—and the occasional kitchen prank!—on her award-winning show The Pioneer Woman, filmed right on Drummond Ranch. Ree is also a regular judge on Food Network competitions, including Christmas Cookie Challenge.
Founder, The Pioneer Woman Collection
Ree has been creating and selling kitchen and home products at Walmart since 2015 and she’s involved in designing every piece and pattern. The line now includes best-selling appliances (you have to see the floral blender!), plus hundreds of pieces of cookware, tableware, and more. Ree doesn’t like to play favorites but the Agatha print has a special place in her heart.
Restaurant and Hotel Owner
Together with her husband Ladd, Ree has opened several bustling businesses in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, including The Pioneer Woman Mercantile—a bakery, restaurant, and general store that draws visitors from across the country (many come for the biscuits alone!), P-Town Pizza, Charlie’s Ice Cream Shop, and The Boarding House, a charming hotel with eight different rooms decorated by Ree and Ladd.
Media Personality
Ree appears regularly on national TV shows like Today, Good Morning America and more—all while managing to keep flour off her shirt.
Wife, Mom and…Grandma!
Ree’s kids (daughters Alex and Paige and sons Bryce and Todd) are all grown up, and as of December 2024, Ree is the proud grandma of the cutest baby ever, Sofia Scott, born to Alex and her husband Mauricio. Ree still cooks for Ladd (and the kids when they’re home), and she also looks after a few mischievous ranch dogs.
