71-year-old Clyde Simmons was on a road trip from Maine to Colorado to visit his family. His two beloved Shih Tzus were riding with him. At first, it seemed like a fun trip for the three of them. But then, they met an unfortunate event while driving through Illinois.
The trailer that Simmons was towing suddenly broke. This caused his car to flip over and crash. Simmons and one of the dogs were given immediate care. However, his younger dog, Goldie, took off during the accident in fear. This left Simmons feeling heartbroken.
The Search for Goldie
Simmons suffered from a severe concussion and some broken ribs. But considering everything, he made a great recovery. Besides, losing Goldie was much more painful than any physical injuries. Simmons’ son, Jason, said that his dad couldn’t stop worrying about the lost pup.
“We shared a hotel room in St. Louis and in his sleep I heard him searching for Goldie if that tells how much she means to him,” said Jason.
Sadly, Simmons had to go to Colorado after a few unsuccessful days of searching. However, many volunteers in the area stepped forward to help locate Goldie. Found A Hound Rescue and Missouri Lost & Found Paws helped continue the search for Goldie. They even created a Facebook page called “Finding Goldie” to give updates on the search.
Volunteers posted lost dog fliers and they set up cameras with food to lure Goldie to them. Neither of those methods found Goldie in the end though. Instead, two kind men named Julio Miguel Jimenez and Tim Criswell ended up finding Goldie on the side of the road. She had been hit by a car, but the driver didn’t stop. So, the two strangers worked together to rescue Goldie and bring her to the vet.
Goldie’s Recovery
Goldie was in critical condition when she arrived at the vet. Luckily, she didn’t have any internal injuries, but she had pelvis fractures and possible vertebrae fractures too. She also had several infected wounds on her body.
Luckily, Goldie’s condition is improving. She’s eating and going to the bathroom normally, but she’s not able to stand or walk yet. She seems to have feeling in all her legs though, which is promising. It’s estimated that her medical bills will cost about $3,000 in the end. An adopter from Found A Hound Rescue kindly offered to pay that entire amount, and many others have donated too. Simmons and his family are amazed by all the support they’ve received.
“There’s still love and caring out there. There’s still people willing to dedicate themselves and their time to help a complete stranger and I think people need to know that,” said Jason.
Goldie still has a long road to recovery ahead of her, but at least she’s safe now. For current updates on Goldie’s recovery, you can follow the Finding Goldie Facebook page. If you want to donate more money to help Goldie and other dogs like her, then please send the money to Found A Hound Rescue on Paypal.
H/T: kmov.com
Featured Image: @FindingGoldie and Screenshot, kmov.com
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via Whisker Therapy