BUTTE — When Brody, a golden lab, went missing last week after a traffic accident on Interstate 90 just east of Butte, many locals were eager to help find the dog.
“I’m dog owner, a dog mom, and I can’t stand to have dogs missing,” said Butte volunteer searcher Lori Johnson.
Brody was in the car with his owners, a couple from Washington, when they were hit by a truck on the highway on Homestake Pass the morning of Feb. 11. There were no serious injuries, but the dog ran from the accident scene.
Several volunteers spent the next several days searching for the dog in rugged terrain and sub-zero temperatures.
They searched with snowshoes, all-terrain vehicles, snowmobiles and even their own dogs. Brody was eventually found alive on the fourth day.
“We know he’s down there, we know he’s in good spirits, he seems to be healthy, he just won’t come to anybody,” said volunteer Keith Zeier.
The dog’s owners had to return to Washington before Brody was found, but a group of volunteers kept watch on him in hopes the timid dog will come to them.
Volunteers say the dog’s owners are grateful to the Butte volunteers.
“They’ve been so devastated, they’re so thankful, nobody will let them pay for anything, they want to donate to our community, they want to move here, so I am born and raised in Butte and I am very proud of our community,” said Johnson.
These folks from Butte didn’t know the couple from Washington, but it didn’t stop them from getting out and sacrificing their weekend and volunteering their time to find Brody — because that’s the Butte way.
“Our pets are not a pet, our pets are family, this dog is coming, this dog is coming home,” said Larry Beck.
