By Spencer Wilson
Click here for updates on this story
Colorado (KCNC) — Bob, a 3-year-old Colorado veteran’s service dog, was lost when his owner Will crashed his 4Runner not far from the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnel during a treacherous trek through the mountains. A firefighter with Summit Fire and EMS reportedly watched the dog crawl out the broken front windshield and run off into the snow-covered hillside. That’s when he did what a lot of people have done in Summit County in the last 5 years.
“He called us,” Summit Lost Pet Rescue volunteer Brandon Ciullo said.
Summit Lost Pet Rescue is a nonprofit volunteer group that does exactly what their name says; help make sure pets lost in the mountains find their way home, no matter who lost them or how they were lost. It’s not unusual that first responders know to call the team of dedicated everyday people who just want to get the pets home, even when Summit County animal control was already working the case, too.
“They know that they can trust us,” Ciullo said. “We’ve proven ourselves.”
So once the team was on the case, Ciullo, Melissa Davis and Chris Decker all sprung into action, trying to find Bob right after the crash, but finding no signs right away. Thankfully, CDOT crews were also aware of what was going on, and after SLPR left a camera along with materials from Bob’s owner to help create a “scent station” should the dog be able to find his way back to the crash, crews spotted him the next day on the frozen hillside just outside the tunnels through one of their cameras.
“One of the plow drivers actually saw the dog high up on a hill on the westbound side,” Davis recalled. “He was just sitting there.”
Finding Bob was just the first step. Next, they had to get to him without him running off, which would have created a need for another search.
“I was, you know, tossing the owner’s shirt and blankets up in the air and he kept catching whiffs of it,” Davis said. “We saw his nose literally pop up.”
Between Decker and Davis, the two worked to get Bob back down the mountain by inching closer to him, step by step, and finally reaching the dog after more than an hour of slow, spook-free progress. Bob was snatched up, healthy enough but cold, and taken down to his owner, Will, who was out of the hospital at that time.
Their reunion was caught on camera as the two were reunited in Frisco.
Will’s wife, Linda Blackman-Lehman, said their family cannot say enough about SLPR, and the generosity that seems to come so naturally to the volunteers who keep the organization running.
“They are exceptional. They are the kind of people who, when you get to thinking that there’s nothing or nobody that’s really good in the world left, you meet people like them and it changes your whole perspective,” Blackman-Lehman said. “God blessed us with Brandon and Melissa and Chris.”
Not only did they go out of their way to get Bob checked by a local vet, but Blackman-Lehman said they also passed monetary support over to Will as well, to make sure he can get back to his family safely, with Bob in tow. Getting that dog back home meant everything to the couple, who said Bob and their other dog Lilly are a huge part of their lives, and take up a huge amount of space in their bed, too.
“I get about eight inches on one side of the bed, Will will get about eight inches on the other side of the king bed…and these two get the rest of the bed,” Blackman-Lehman said, laughing. It’s a laugh she lets out freely, now that everyone is home safe, thanks to the first responders, medical crews, and the Summit Lost Pet Rescue.
“I wish they had those everywhere.”
As for the volunteers, celebrating their fifth year working to reunite pets with owners (and having logged more than 1,000 successful rescues to date) Davis said it’s more than a hobby, it’s what drives them.
“Once you do one rescue, you have to do more,” Davis explained, sandwiched between fellow volunteers Ciullo and Decker. “I mean, the reunions are worth it, the tears of happiness … you’re saving a life.”
“Two!” Ciullo said, pipping up. “The dogs, and the owners.”
CBS can confirm all the people involved are very humble, and made sure to push glory off to their partners in getting these missions done.
“We just would like to thank the entire Summit community and beyond,” Davis said. “We couldn’t do it without the support of our donors, our grantors, our volunteers, the inter-agencies, animal control for this rescue in particular, CDOT, Summit Fire and Passion for Paws.”
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
