A military veteran’s service dog was rescued from 11,000 feet near the Eisenhower-Johnson Tunnels late last week, when its owner was hospitalized in a car crash April 3.
Summit Lost Pet Rescue shares the story of Bob, the Shibu inu. Bob scrambled from a broken windshield after the wreck and darted across I-70, barely missing cars as they sped past. He was almost hit multiple times before disappearing into the snow.
At the time conditions were windy, cold and whiteout. First responders were busy stabilizing the human victims.
“Cars and trucks were flying out of the tunnel and slamming on brakes trying not to hit Bob. Our Summit Lost Pet Rescue team immediately stepped into action,” the Summit non-profit shares on Facebook. “We asked for the medics to get some dirty clothes from the owner, who was on his way to the hospital, and we asked for permission to get items out of the car, which was on its way to the tow yard.”
Rescuers were in the field for several hours with no luck. The sun went down. Bob was still missing.
“There is SO much snow up at 11,000 feet so he had very minimal places to hide,” pet rescuers write. “We searched the CDOT buildings with their team to rule those out. No sightings at all after Bob initially ran off after the crash.”
They did not give up. This group has rescued animals missing for weeks in the wilderness, often using the exact same tactics – trail cams, scented clothing, dedicated volunteers and patience.
Early the next day a CDOT plow driver spotted Bob shivering in the snow just uphill from I-70. A volunteer was on scene 10 minutes later, approaching the dog with the same scented clothing rescuers had used the day before. The volunteer slowly and methodically approached the pup, and soon after the dog was safely recovered.
Bob and his owner have since been reunited. He wanted to pay the pet rescuers, who told him: “We do this for free.”
“We spent a bit of time with them both making sure they were set up in the hotel and had everything they needed until their family drove to them from Utah,” pet rescuers write. “WELCOME HOME BOB!!”
The two are now back home in Utah.