Help Russell Recover After 2 Wks Lost In The Woods

Calvin And Davey Ulrey is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Russell Ulrey.

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Russell is a "dog dad" to two dogs: 15 year old Calvin and 9-year-old Davey. In their words, they tell the story of Russell's 2 week ordeal when he went missing on April 17th.

Our dad Russell loves us and would never leave us. That's why he miraculously is alive today.

He's a professional dogwalker, but he cannot walk right now. He lost use of his feet because he was missing in the woods for 2 weeks. Please Support his recovery and help him get back on his feet (literally!)

Although he is unable to walk, he is able to write!

While in recovery and off his feet, Russell is writing a short book about his unlikely survival story. He's offering it as a Thank You gift to all who donate towards Russell's care.

Russell went for a day hike in Hiawatha National Forest, with just a small backpack. When the weather turned that afternoon, he lost his ability to use the sun as a compass to navigate back to the road. He spent the night in the woods - With no jacket, no sleeping bag, no matches. He only had slip-on shoes, several layers of shirts, and an array of items that had collected in his backpack over time - a few dog treats, nicotine lozenges, blue painters tape, scissors, a cap and a scarf.

For 2 weeks, he survived only equipped with his wit and nature skills. He collected water from cold streams. He foraged wild plants. He drank the sap of birch trees to maintain strength. He found shelter in a deer blind to fend off the nightly freezing temperatures. He slept sporadically knowing he needed to stay awake or else hypothermia would kill him. He coexisted in peace with bears and wolves. If anyone could, it would be Russell.

He practiced gratitude for every moment and each beautiful thing he saw. He asked for guidance to do the next right thing. He maintained mental strength, mindful to not make any careless mistakes as his body and mind grew inevitably weaker. And against the odds, he survived. He did all this with strong desire to live, to be reunited with his family. And with all of you.

Russell ran into the search party on May 1st, while walking back from his daily water collection. He was surprised to see people, and they were shocked to find him alive. They already sent search dogs and cadaver dogs because they knew this forest well and could not imagine anyone surviving for 2 weeks. These selfless heroes from the UP spent their own time and resources for Russell and our family. These strangers are now our saviors. We will forever be in debt to them for their dedication to find Russell, dead or alive. It’s a miraculous story with a very happy ending.

Photo above: May 1st, Kirk “Tracker” Radtke and Albin Mattson, members of the search party, with Russell Ulrey (center) Not pictured: Kathy Sherlund, her dog Kaj, Janeen Hunt Radtke, Greg, and Talon.

Russell was tired, but walked out of the woods with the rescue team under his own power. Our Uncle Scott drove as fast as he could to meet him. It wasn’t until the next day that Russell’s body started to give out, revealing how much it had given to survive. On his first trip to the ER, he received fluids and IV potassium to restore his electrolyte balance. They drained the wounds on his hands, and started him on antibiotics to help heal his scraped up feet . Uncle Scott watched over him and they stayed a few days in the peaceful UP to decompress. When they were driving back to Madison, WI, Russell’s feet had swollen so much he could barely walk (pictured below), and he felt worse than ever. He went straight to the University of Wisconsin Hospital ER and was again assessed for more damage.

Russell had lost over 20lbs in his efforts to stay alive, and was given a preliminary diagnosis of Lyme disease.

Photo above: Russell’s painful feet with edema on May 4, 2021 from his medical record

The doctors say that it's fortunate Russell was healthy to begin with, but even so it will take about 3 months of medical care and rest to get him back on his feet. We are asking for your help to support our dad so he can focus on getting strong again.

We are asking for donations to help cover medical bills and continuing care costs at UW including Lyme disease treatment, rebuilding body strength, trauma therapy for PTSD, and hopefully acupuncture and holistic treatments too. We'll be staying for the summer in Madison, WI so he can enjoy top notch care from the UW medical teams and be close to our Uncle Scott ❤️.

While he is off his feet and recovering, Russell is writing a short book detailing his unlikely survival story. It will be given as a Thank You gift to all who donate towards Russell's care.

We are so so so so so happy he is ok! That would be enough. All your messages of love and care and concern would be enough. But if you can, without hardship to yourselves, chip in to help our dad literally get back on his feet we would be so grateful. Russell says he would like to make authentic connections with each of you who sent positive thoughts out in to the world for him while he was missing. He said to tell you that he loves you. And thank you. Please help create the Beloved Community we all deserve.

xoxo,
Calvin and Davey

Here are other ways to support us:

~Order “LOST: special edition” items from our Etsy Store- proceeds will help us give a very special thank you to our UP heroes!

Russell keeps bits of poems with him at all times… one of the poems he has carried for 10 years is called Lost by David Wagoner. The special edition designs he is making now include excerpts from Lost. He told us that as he searched for the road out, he needed to ensure he could find his way back to shelter at the deer blind. He would snap a mental picture at each turn, then say out loud to the birds and trees, “No two trees are the same to Raven. No two branches are the same to Wren” to cement the memory in his mind. We celebrate this intersection of art and wilderness with our new collection, and hope you check it out.

click here to see the full design in the Eat Bark Love Etsy Shop

~Follow us on Instagram for updates
Calvin is @have.you.seen.this.dog
Davey is @daveytheblindchihuahua
Dog care and cuties… @small_club_dogs_eat_bark_love
… Calvin got blocked from his Facebook for not having a photo ID, sorry fb people!

~Hire Russell or one of our skilled caregivers to do a virtual consultation for your hospice, senior, or special needs pet. We advise on non-veterinary in-home care and accessibility issues. We will share with you the kinds of tips and tricks we have become experts in after caring for countless beloved clients, fosters and furry family members with special needs or terminal illnesses ❤️ Find out more at Eat Bark Love website