By Erin Andersen / Lincoln Journal Star1
November 10, 2014
Jack is back.
It’s welcome news for an Elmwood family injured in a traffic accident early Saturday near Bennet.
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| Jack |
Jack, a 5-year-old yellow Labrador, was in the family’s Chevy Suburban en route to a day of duck hunting, when a pickup driven by Christopher Swift, 22, of Cheney, crossed the Nebraska 43 center line and collided with the Suburban, sending it rolling into the ditch, said Lancaster County Chief Deputy Jeff Bliemeister.
Rick Hauschild, 47, his son Lane Hauschild, 19, and nephew Kyle Hauschild, 30, were thrown from the Suburban, as was Jack, according to Kathy Eidson Hauschild, wife of Rick and mother of Lane.
Jack lay in the ditch by his family until the ambulance arrived. It is theorized the sirens spooked the dog, who took off across the fields.
Rick Hauschild was taken by helicopter to Bryan West Campus, where he was placed in a medically induced coma. On Monday afternoon, he was in serious condition with two collapsed lungs and crushed vertebra, but was conscious and alert, said family friend Tom Keller of Malcolm.
Lane Hauschild was listed in good condition, with two broken hips. Kyle Hauschild was treated and released, as was Swift, Bliemeister said.
The accident, which occurred around 5 a.m., remains under investigation by the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Department. Alcohol is suspected as a factor, Bliemeister said.
When no one spotted Jack after the crash, Keller made a plea for help on Facebook. That's when Sam Franklin, founder of Lost Pets of Lancaster County, summoned a cadre of volunteers to search the fields near Bennet and pepper the community with "lost dog" fliers.
Their first lead came at 9 p.m. Sunday, when a woman reported seeing a black Lab and a yellow Lab running near 140th Street and Wittstruck Road.
Because of the second dog, searchers were not convinced Jack was one of the spotted dogs. Then they learned of Chewy, a black Lab/German shepherd mix from Bennet, who had run off sometime Sunday morning.
Although Chewy likes to wander the countryside, she never misses a meal, said owner Vicki Hillman. So when Chewy didn’t turn up for dinner, Hillman grew worried, and posted her own missing dog flier.
That’s when searchers put two-and-two together -- especially when they discovered that 2-year-old Chewy was in heat, and Jack was an intact male. Odds were the two dogs had not only found one another, but were sticking close by each other.
Monday afternoon, volunteers had just resumed the search when they were called back in.
Wayward Chewy was spotted heading home, with her golden suitor close behind.
The exhausted pooches snoozed as volunteers showered them with treats and attention.
Lori Koss immediately sent a photo to Kathy Hauschild at the hospital, who showed it to her healing husband.
“He had a big ol’ smile on his face,” Keller said.
For Franklin and Koss, Monday’s success brings the number of pet/owner reunifications to nearly 600 since Lost Pets of Lancaster County started on Jan. 1.
“This is just an awesome ending,” Koss said. “This is what we do this for.”
And Hillman has her own plug -- “if anybody wants puppies in a couple of months” she knows a canine couple who are no doubt expecting.
Source: http://journalstar.com/news/local/volunteers-find-dog-who-disappeared-following-crash/article_f8cbc3c3-c3d7-55fa-a1ff-6a2b807bf8cd.html
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