Joker's Journey - Help Reunite Other Lost Dogs

I would like to say I want to forget this whole thing ever happened but I cannot because the amount of compassion and kindness we received from total strangers is a story worth telling. We will never forget the determination of the people we met during Joker's Journey through Colorado. These amazing people, have truly shown what miracles are made of, how caring about something can have such an impact and how one little dog can survive against all odds.

Now that our family has been reunited, we are trying to help the ladies that saved our furbaby!!! We are asking that you consider donating to them to help fund their efforts in finding other lost dogs in Colorado. Without their help, we would not have gotten a happy ending! They are known as i70 Corridor Lost & Found Pets, Eastern CO on Facebook and here's our story, shortened of course.

So for those who don’t know, John (my other half) was taking a load of roofing to Las Vegas from Michigan. On Tuesday night, March 7th, he was pulled off the expressway near Wiggins, Colorado to sleep when a lady drove off and smashed into his semi trying to commit suicide. Her car ricocheted back and caught fire. John got out along with our dog, Joker, as her car became engulfed in flames. He thought he secured Joker away from the fire and went to assist the lady. He pulled her from the fiery car and got them to safety. Once he had the disoriented lady under control, he went back for Joker but she was gone. Likely terrified from the crash, fire and the loud noises from tires popping and burning plus the emergency responders. John began searching immediately but nothing.

He spent the next day searching for her while I posted her picture everywhere out there from home. His truck and trailer had to be towed home to Michigan and he made it back Friday around 10pm. We were so worried about her that we packed up immediately, leaving our two boys and other animals, and went back to Colorado to search for her. We left by 11:30pm and drove nonstop there. We spent 5 days searching for her.

The people out there were amazing in helping us. Complete strangers gave up their time without hesitation to help look, post flyers, spread the word, whatever we needed they offered. We plastered the towns with flyers and the locals all knew the story and she was even in their newspaper. But still, after searching for days, we were heartbroken she did not turn up. On our last day there, we had a reported sighting along the highway we had been searching and went back one last time but nothing.

As I stood on top of the hill just crying because we were going home empty-handed with no other choice. Just as we were hiking back to the highway, I got a call from a lady named Karen. She said that she and Amy had been following our story on Facebook and wanted to help. She said that they trap lost dogs in Colorado and wanted to help us. Through the tears I was sobbing, Karen explained to me that they would be out there to the last sighting area in a couple of hours and asked if we could stay a bit longer to meet. After making arrangements back at home, we met up that evening with them.

That night we all tried tracking her prints, set up another scent station, a live trap, a camera and grilled bacon to attract her. But the only thing we saw and heard were coyotes in the distance. When we finally all left, as the camera watched, Amy spotted Joker running along the highway towards Roggen which was miles away from where we were. We all searched the area until early morning but no sign of her again. We were devastated that we had to leave the next morning, there was nothing else we could do until Joker was spotted again.

Karen and Amy tried reassuring us that they have trapped dogs who have been missing and running for six months traveling over miles. They also said that they would continue the search on their own but we needed to report any sightings to them immediately. Amy and Karen went and made larger posters to put along the highway and accident site while we traveled home. The motion cameras were still up and would alert Amy immediately if Joker walked by.

When we returned to Michigan, we mailed out hundreds of lost dog flyers, from Fort Morgan to Denver and as many places as we could find addresses for along I-76. But a few days passed and nothing, no sightings, we began to lose hope. How could our small, 40-pound dog, survive the harsh terrain and predators in this remote Colorado area? Then the best tip came!

On Saturday, March 18th, a lady called stating that she was looking at our dog but she would not come to her. She was down at the RV park at Empire Reservoir. We called Karen and Amy immediately who dropped everything to go there as fast as they could. Our cousin, who was also nearby searching on his day off, also went there too along with another local lady who had been helping us. That evening, Amy and Karen worked their magic setting the traps, scent stations and cameras. They stayed for hours waiting and watching but it wasn't until just after they left, Joker appeared and was finally trapped. Karen immediately called me with a camera picture to verify it was Joker and it was! She called back and all I remember is saying, "oh my god, you have my dog!" We broke down crying in our kitchen, 1200 miles away. We had gotten the miracle we so desperately wanted.

Karen took our furbaby home, fed and bathed her and cared for her until we got there. My son and I took a flight out of Michigan the next day to pick her up. We were reunited with her Monday morning. After 10 days of heartache and despair, we were given a miracle. Aside from losing a lot of weight and her skin irritated, Joker survived. She made it against all odds and everything working against her. But thanks to these two ladies and what they do best, we have her home safe and sound now.

What do they do - they work miracles!! Helping total strangers find their beloved dogs all on their own. They use all their own time, their resources, their gas, their traps, their bacon and smelly food, their cameras, everything they do is all themselves. They spend hundreds of dollars and hours of their time helping dogs find their way home. While we cannot thank them enough, we are trying to help fund them better so that others can have a happy ending like ours. What an amazing difference they make in this world!!!