Dog, family reunited
Dog, lost after incident in Kentucky, found after three-week search
Written by Jessie Balmert, CentralOhio.com
May. 2, 2012
Bear gets special attention from Charles Jackson, a member of the West Knox Volunteer Fire Department in Corbin, Ky., after the dog was found alive in a McKinley Street backyard Monday morning. Jackson was one of several people who searched for the dog since he escaped April 8 during a traffic accident involving his family along Interstate 75 exit 25 in Corbin. / Times-Tribune in Corbin, Ky.
HANOVER -- When 4-year-old Dillon Dalton learned his beloved dog, Bear, had been found in Corbin, Ky., after a three-week search, he started jumping up and down.
"That dog is his life," said Dillon's mother, Shauna.
On April 8, the family was driving from Florida to Hanover when their vehicle and U-Haul trailer overturned on Interstate 75 near Corbin, a southeastern Kentucky city with a population of about 21,000, including surrounding areas.
Originally from Licking County, the Daltons were returning to Hanover for work after spending less than a year in Florida, she said.
After the crash, the family immediately realized Bear, a black Labrador-German shepherd mix, was missing. A couple of people stopped near the scene and chased the 2-year-old dog to no avail, Dalton said.
Shauna, her husband, Chris, and their two children, Dillon and 2-month-old Levi, were taken to a hospital for treatment.
"It was traumatizing for my kids," Dalton said.
Daniel Wallen, owner of Wallen's Towing and Recovery, responded to the crash scene to remove the vehicle, but did not learn about the missing dog until later.
When the Daltons came to his shop to recover some property, they mentioned Bear. That evening, Wallen drove around looking for the lost pet, identifiable by his blue leash and collar, he said.
The Daltons stayed in Corbin for three days, looking for Bear and waiting for a U-Haul truck before returning to Ohio. After that, they prayed for their pet's safe return, Dalton said.
Wallen, who owns a Yorkshire terrier and loves dogs, contacted LaVina Johnson, a member of the nonprofit organization Fur Ever Friends. Local media also got involved. Soon, the entire city was looking for Bear and his blue leash.
Wallen said he received reports of sightings from neighbors, the 911 Center dispatchers and local fire departments. During the weekend, a man contacted Wallen about seeing Bear, Wallen said.
Neighbor Tina Kersey allowed Wallen to set up a cage with some food and Bear's bed, which was recovered from the crash, in her yard.
Monday morning, Wallen received a call that Bear was inside the cage. After more than three weeks of searching, Bear was found.
"We were ecstatic," he said.
Dalton said she wasn't surprised the bed attracted Bear to the cage.
"His bed is what he smelled," Dalton said. "That's his favorite spot."
Bear was taken -- with two leashes, for good measure -- to Fur Ever Friends, where he received a bath and volunteers removed ticks. He was clipped by a vehicle after the crash, but was not seriously injured, Dalton said.
Shauna, Chris and the children were driving to Corbin on Tuesday to retrieve Bear. They had to pawn some items to make the trip, Dalton said.
Dalton said she was thankful for the people of Corbin who searched for Bear.
"They are so sweet," she said.
It's a happy ending to a month-long story that Wallen said he won't soon forget.
"I called him the 'miracle dog,'" Wallen said.
Source: http://www.lancastereaglegazette.com/article/20120502/NEWS01/205020310?utm_source=loot&utm_medium=is_awesome&utm_campaign=social_media
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