Imagine surviving a terrible car accident and waking up to even worse news: your dog has run away.
That was the case for one man, who survived one ordeal but was then left searching for his beloved missing dog.
Luckily, the dog has now been found and reunited with his family — just maybe not under the best circumstances.
Last month, Clyde Simmons, 71, drove from Maine to Colorado to visit relatives, but got into a disastrous accident when his trailer broke, flipping his car over, according to KMOV.
Clyde suffered a serious concussion and suffered broken ribs, but survived the ordeal and has since recovered nicely.
However, that wasn’t the end of his problems: he found out his pet shitzu, Goldie, went missing after the crash.
“Goldie fled the scene unfortunately,” Clyde’s son Jason told KMOV. “We think she was really scared and just took off.” He added that the pain of losing the dog hurt his father more than his injuries.
But he didn’t give up. Since Goldie went missing away from home—the accident happened in Collinsville, Illinois—Clyde stayed in the area and, with the help of locals, began a widespread search for the dog.
A Facebook group called “Finding Goldie” was started up and they offered a thousand dollar reward.
But on July 13, the family posted an update, one with good news and bad news.
The good news was that Goldie had finally been found… but the bad news was she had been struck by a car.
While she survived, the dog sustained injuries… which came with an expensive hospital bill.
“We will do everything it takes to see that she gets the best care,” a post reads. They are currently trying to get her stable and possibly transferred to VSS.”
But after this difficult ordeal, things are starting to look up for this dog and her owner.
The family took donations from followers to help pay for Goldie’s medical expenses, raising over $3,000.
While she’s still in pain and unable to walk, her condition is improving steadily.
“We talked to Goldie’s vet tech this evening and received positive news,” an update from July 14 reads. “Goldie’s condition continues to improve. She has started eating solid food.”
“We are completely overwhelmed with the support and generosity of everyone. Goldie’s family is amazed at how many people have come together to make Goldie’s search, rescue and rehabilitation possible.”
It’s always painful to lose your dog, so we can’t imagine what Clyde went through here. We’re so glad Goldie is home now and is recovering well!
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