Woman searching for missing service dog following Fayette County crash
Submitted
Heidi is a 3-year-old service dog from Colorado who went missing on Saturday when she ran away following a vehicle accident in the Gans area of Fayette County near the West Virginia border.
Submitted
Colorado resident Bridget Spangler is searching for her 3-year-old service dog, Heidi. The dog ran off after Spangler was in a vehicle accident on Saturday in the Gans area of Fayette County. Anyone who鈥檚 seen Heidi or knows where she might be can call Spangler at 719-640-2651.
A Colorado woman is on the search for her service dog, which escaped after she was in a crash in Fayette County near the West Virginia border.
Around 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Bridget Spangler was the passenger in a one-vehicle collision around the Gans area of Fayette County. Her 3-year-old German shepherd deer hound, Heidi, got loose and ran off.
鈥淪he ran back over to the Pennsylvania side, so we鈥檙e trying to cover both states,鈥� Spangler said Wednesday. 鈥淪he could be anywhere in that area.鈥�
While Spangler suffered some bruising and whiplash in the accident, she has since been out every day in search of Heidi, a service dog trained to alert whenever Spangler is about to have a seizure or get help if she has one.
Spangler said the dog will answer to her name, and wears a purple collar with white stitching. Heidi鈥檚 rabies tag is from Larimer County, Colorado, and she has been microchipped.
Heidi is a bit leery around adults, but loves children, Spangler said. She also loves to eat 鈥減eople food鈥� and especially loves having a laser light projected on the ground so she can chase it.
Spangler said several people have stepped up to help her search and a local woman has helped Spangler put up fliers in the area. This weekend, a group of volunteers will conduct a search on foot and horseback to help find her special dog.
鈥淲e need to get her picture out there to get sightings because people see this dog walking on the road, and they鈥檙e not going to know that she has an owner, and she鈥檚 missed and she has an important job to do,鈥� Spangler said.
Heidi was last spotted at Seghi鈥檚 Five Lakes near Smithfield on Sunday. A GoFundMe page has been set up to help pay for Spangler鈥檚 stay at a local West Virginia motel until the search is complete.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 afford to stay here, but I don鈥檛 want to leave without my dog,鈥� she said.
Anyone can also send money directly to the motel at the Motel 6, Room 117, located at, 3606 Monongahela Blvd., Morgantown, West Virginia, 26505.
Whatever money is leftover will be donated to an animal shelter.
To donate to the Go Fund Me page, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-to-stay-longer-and-find-service-dog?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet
Anyone interested in volunteering to search for Heidi or join the upcoming search this weekend, can call Spangler at 719-640-2651.