Abby, black lab

Missing dog found alive after accident near busy interstate
by Chris Minor
May 28, 2013

A dog missing for more than 24 hours near busy Interstate 80 near Annawan has been found alive and well after surviving a car crash that killed another dog, and injured two people.

Abby, a black lab from Chillicothe, Illinois took off running after the Memorial Day car accident. Her worried owners, Steve and Jodie Kemp, couldn’t help try to find her because both were taken to a hospital in Davenport.

“That’s Steve’s baby. He’s in serious condition, and that’s the only thing he asked, is please bring Abby home!” said Jen Anderson, Kemp’s sister-in-law.

Anderson, other family members, and Annawan volunteers who heard about the missing animal searched Monday night and Tuesday morning for the dog.

At one point, she was seen in the median of the interstate. Remarkably, she made her way about a mile and a half from the crash site, across Route 6, and ended up in a muddy creek bed, away from traffic.

Around 11 a.m Tuesday, May 28, rescuers were able to get close enough to the frightened lab and coax her to safety, putting her on a leash and placing her on an ATV.

One of the rescuers, Will Addis of Annawan, said Abby calmed down when she heard her mom’s voice on a cellphone.

“It was awesome. The owner was calling her, the lady got on the phone and started calling for the dog on speakerphone, and the dog just laid down,” Addis said.

“The whole town of Annawan has been great. Everyone’s looked for her since yesterday afternoon. Some people traveled two hours. I’m just glad we got her. Hopefully Steve can start healing now, he’s going to have a long, long recovery,” Anderson said.

Sadly, the couple’s other dog was killed in the accident, which relatives say happened after a red car with Texas plates cut off the Kemps, causing their car and camper to go into a ditch.

“Please tell everyone how much we appreciated their help”, Anderson said. “We couldn’t have gotten Abby back without them!”

Source: http://wqad.com/2013/05/28/missing-dog-found-alive-after-accident-near-busy-interstate/