By Nyssa Rabinowitz, The Flint Journal
Thursday, July 07, 2011
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| This photo of Chaz was taken in March and was used in flyers and the Facebook page to try and locate the lost dog following the accident |
MUNDY TOWNSHIP, Michigan — The missing dog of a Wixom couple involved in a rollover accident has been found after friends and family created a Facebook page to help search for him.
Chaz, a mixed-breed dog just more than a year old, was riding in a vehicle with the couple on their way up north Friday, July 1, to celebrate the Fourth of July weekend when their car rolled over on Grand Blanc Road near U.S. 23.
The Champions of Chaz — Reuniting Lost Dog with Owners page on Facebook had more than 425 fans by Wednesday.
“We’ve had people who don’t know us or the family going out and doing searches on their own,” said page creator Leah Dolsea, 37, of Pleasant Ridge.
The Wixom man’s sister, Susie Klimkiewicz, said her brother was treated for minor cuts and bruises but that his girlfriend was critically injured. Police and family declined to identify the man, 26, and the woman, 24.
“My brother called me from the ambulance, and I went straight out (to the crash site),” said Susie Klimkiewicz, 30, of Waterford Township. Her brother was driving the car.
But Chaz was gone when she reached the scene.
“Witnesses said that they did see Chaz fly out of the vehicle, and he landed on all fours and took off running,” Klimkiewicz said.
Then, the family got the news they had been waiting for for six days — Chaz had been found at 8 in the morning on July 7.
“A guy was on vacation for three days and came home to a stuffed mailbox,” Klimkiewicz said.
Chaz was in his backyard.
A member of the Facebook page dedicated to finding Chaz had printed flyers with her phone number, Chaz’s picture and description and distributed them around the area of the crash site, Klimkiewicz said.
One of the pieces of mail in the homeowner’s mailbox was the flyer, and he recognized the dog.
“I just drove there and picked him up,” said Michelle Guswiler, 37 of Fenton, who made the flyers.
Chaz was found about a mile north of the accident at a home by Reid Road and Torrey Road, Guswiler said.
“I’m an animal lover,” she said. “I just couldn’t stand the thought of him being scared of fireworks or hurt or something like that.”
Guswiler volunteers with an animal rescue group called Guardian Angel Animal Rescue in Livonia, which inspired her to get involved and help.
She said she would never have known the dog was missing if not for Facebook.
“I had seen a post on Facebook on Friday, the day of the accident,” Guswiler said.
Chaz was checked out by a veterinarian and give a clean bill of health apart from a small fracture on his hip, Klimkiewicz said.
Klimkiewicz said she’s not sure Chaz would have been found without the Facebook group.
“I don’t think it would have made it this far without the page,” she said. “We had a lot of help from people in the Flint area. I don’t think any of us could thank them enough.”
Guswiler said she was glad to be a part of the emotional reunion.
“It was a good reunion,” she said. “I’m happy I could be a part of a happy pet story. I think Chaz is very happy to be home.”
Source: http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2011/07/missing_dog_found_after_rollov.html
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