Here is what I know about dog people…

Update:

I am happy to report that Elicia and her dog, Tobie, were reunited this morning! Here is how they were reunited in Elicia’s own words from the Help Elicia Find Her Dogs! Facebook page.

For those who didn’t hear how Tobie was reunited: we saw her running towards the cows this morning. Anita Grady and her husband mike flew a plane to help sight tobie with cows Several friends were driving below the plane for sighting directions. Susie fain and her guardian angels were on the way to help find tobie. She passed tobie walking on the eastbound i-10 shoulder heading in and out of traffic in the opposite direction. Nicole and I received a call from Susie about the sighting on the freeway. We chased her across the median onto the south side of the freeway and into the ravine. The plane then flew over to locate her in the ravine. The communicator with whom we were working got her to stop. She then was able to recognize who I was. Ran to me like we had just finished an agility run and gave me a hug.

More details to come.

Also good news. Being discharge from ER now (on good pain meds). Punctured lung healed and ins of bruising. But Alive and grateful for life!!!

What a wonderful dog community we have in this world. People from across the world (and I am not kidding) offered to help in whatever way they could. Prayers, good thoughts, money, planes, horses, campers, etc – all were offered to help reunite Elicia and Tobie. Such an amazing event. Truly a miracle.

One last update on Elicia and her dogs:

Thank you ALLl for EVERTYTHING !!! I am so grateful for all of your love, support and generosity!! Your unending and unconditional support is what I believe made the miracle of reuniting with Tobie alive!! Just left the vet office – thanks to veterinary specialists of tucson- all dogs are stable. Ice is having hardest time from the banging around in the car. Amazingly tobie is intact with some . Destiny only hasI have so much I want to say but am on my way to the ER for my follow up Care, now that everyone has been stabilized at the vets. I am so grateful!!

One last note from me: I know that the gal from Wilcox Animal Shelter was out helping Elicia look for Tobie and Nika for hours and on into the late evening. She also cared for some of Elicia’s dogs when she settled down for the night. If you feel the desire to give to this small shelter, please do.

From Elicia:

A huge thank you to Wilcox Animal Shelter 1525 E Stewart rd Willcox Az 85643 520-384-0163. FB City of Willcox humane shelter. The shelter cared for ice and destiny while breesea helped in the search for tobie. Thank you Kelly and Vicki for taking dogs to shelter and destiny to the vet, and helping in searching for missing tsunami, nika and tobie.

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Here’s what I know about dog people. They are giving and kind and resourceful  and generous, and they are willing to help another dog owner when they need it most. They are exactly the type of people Elicia Calhoun needs right now.

At approximately 5:20 PM Monday night I saw a post on Facebook (by Leslie at Johann the Dog) that a well-known agility trainer had been in a terrible car accident along with her six agility dogs. Sadly, one of her dogs, Tsunami, died at the scene and Elicia was rushed to the hospital while some of her dogs were rushed to a vet. Two of her dogs are still missing in the Arizona desert.

Immediately, dog people (agility people, veterinarians, dog lovers, truckers, farmers, horse people, etc.) began to mobilize from across the country and in Canada to try to help. In the four hours since I first read about Elicia’s ordeal, a Facebook page, Help Elicia find her dogs!, was set up go provide updates and mobilize search teams, a Paypal site was set up to collect donations for the search and to pay for Elicia and her dogs’ care (nearly $8,000 raised by 10:50 PM Central). People shared her story on Facebook and Twitter, some made fliers and posted them and shared them, some gave them to truckers and anyone near the crash site (which is near Wilcox, Arizona, at mile marker 351). Others offered to ride out on horseback or to donate a helicopter or to search on foot. Many just offered prayers and words of support and encouragement. In almost 4 hours, 2100 people had joined Her Facebook page.

I know that the dog community contains some amazing people, having experienced it firsthand when Lady was lost, but I still can’t help but be impressed by the groundswell of support for Elicia and her dogs. Dog people are amazing people. Big-hearted, amazing people. I am so proud to be a part of this special group. When we put our heads, hands and hearts together we can do almost anything.

I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but I hope and pray that it will be good news for Elicia. In the meantime, I know the dog community will continue to rally around her and to show their support for her and her dogs. I hope you will send your good thoughts and prayers to Elicia and her lost pups. She needs all the support we can provide right now.

Update: Sadly, Nika was found shortly after Elicia left the hospital to go search for her two missing dogs. She was hit by a car and did not make it. However, the search for Tobie continues. I hope and pray she is found soon.

Update (6:25 AM CST): Tobie was not found overnight, but the search continues this morning. They believe she has been traveling between the accident sight and where Nika was hit. Please pray that she is found today. I received an update last night that the three dogs who were taken to the vet are being cared for locally until Elicia finds Tobie. To read the latest on the search and how you can help, go to the Facebook page.

Elicia’s Agility Dogs

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