Dog left open and freezer not starting back to freeze

I would say that the air damper valve has failed and stuck in the fully open position. It fits between the freezer and food cabinet. It has a little door which slowly opens or shuts to regulate the temperature in the food compartment. If it sticks open, the food side (Especially the top) will start to freeze up. I haven't done work on your model but it will be at the top corner of the food compartment behind the top inner panel. You will have to remove that to get to it. Its a little rectangular box with a door that opens and shuts and usually a wiring connector plug just above it.

Sounds like a short in the defrost cycle. Could be leaky door gasket also. If evap coil is frozen over only half way then you have a sealed system problem.

It is possible the refrigerator is low on Freon. You will need to remove the back panel inside the rear of freezer to examine the evaporator coils. If only a few rows have frost it will be time to replace the refrigerator. If the control panel in the freezer dispenser are coming on and off there may be a bad connection in the plug under the top left door hinge cover. Check that the plug is tight. Let me know what you see first behind the freezer wall, Thanks Sea Breeze

One of the most common problems with freezers is their tendency to build up a thick level of frost and ice that can disrupt performance. The ice can form on the hoses and cause the fan to freeze up. While you want the freezer to be cold, too much ice is not good for the freezer or the food inside it. There are multiple reasons a freezer could start to develop frost buildup.

Freezer Overstocked
Frost can build up in the freezer if there are too many items inside of it. Air cannot properly circulate around the freezer, so the areas with the sitting cold air can freeze the moisture. Frost continues to build up and accumulate, which then allows it to spread. If food is stocked up near the fan, cold air can't get past it, and the fan itself could develop frost to the point where it freezes and stops working entirely. This can be prevented by not overstocking the freezer and by evenly distributing food throughout.

Temperature Setting Too Low
The freezer should have a thermostat that regulates how cold it gets. If the temperature is set at too low of a setting, the freezer kicks into high gear, the air freezes outright and frost quickly builds up. Adjusting the thermostat to a higher temperature or level can counteract this problem, but you may need to de-thaw the freezer to eliminate the frost that has already built up inside.

Keeping the Fridge Door Open
Many people keep their fridge door open for extended periods of time while they examine the contents inside to see what they want to eat. This can contribute to frost buildup in the freezer, because the fridge is taking in a lot of warm air during this process and the fan pushes it up into the freezer. The moisture in that air is then quickly frozen, and ice can build up substantially as a result. The longer the fridge door is held open, the more likely this can occur, so the best solution is to only keep the fridge open for short intervals and then to not open the door again for a while.
Hope this tips will help you. : )

is the freezer fan running? is there frost on the rear freezer wall if so it would be a defrost issue. if no frost on freezer rear panel it would sound like a bad compressor or sealedsystem leak.

You will need to turn the unit off and let it completely unthaw. There is frost that builds up in the ducts and behind the panels when the door is left open that will cause the unit to not cool or circulate where needed.

I need the model number that Sears put on the fresh food section door to confirm. Until I know which model you have I need to assume that it has an electrically controlled damper between the freezer and 2 temperature controls. I also have to assume that they both are connected by their wiring to a Adaptive Defrost Control. If one of the three things listed is not working then that part will need replaced. Now there are cases when the damper door becomes stuck and you would need to unplug the power and open the rear panel in the back of freezer to see if frost or ice has the damper stuck wide open. Sears numbers look like this for example 231.564897 bottom of fresh food door behind door seal and near floor kick plate, Let me know what you find and I will be happy to help you, Thanks, Sea Breeze

check to see if you have frost on the back panel of the freezer if so then defrost the unit and if your able to find the failure of the defrst heater or defrst thermostat,or the defrost thmer more than likely its the mother board since its a general electric frig but if you manually defrost until a repair tect can come then it will run normal until it frost up again but before you call the tech out make sure you have the frost on the back panel otherwise he'll make several trip trying to solve the problem with the frig unless its the defrst heater

Check these two things first.  1.  Is there a thick frost buildup on the back panel at the bottom half of the freezer?  2.  Do you hear the fan running inside the freezer?  Let me know what you find.