‘Heartbroken’ dog owner ‘scoured every inch’ of town — then pup is found in icy tunnel
A “heartbroken” dog owner “did everything in her power” to find her dog when he went missing Jan. 23, a Colorado humane society said.
“She filed a lost pet report, posted on social media and other forums, and scoured every inch of the neighborhood,” but “Cooper was nowhere to be found,” the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region said Wednesday, Jan. 29 on Facebook.
Then the shelter’s animal law enforcement officers got a call Jan. 28 about a dog stuck in a drainage tunnel, the shelter said.
“When they arrived, they found a terrified, anxious pup that had been trapped in an icy tunnel for who knows how long,” officials said.
They used a catch pole to keep some distance between the scared pup as they got him out of the tunnel, the shelter said. A photo shows him backed into a snowy corner at the end of the catch pole and gazing apprehensively back at the officers.
“But even though he was free, the poor pup was still on high alert,” the shelter said. “Can you blame him? He’d been stuck in that dark, cold tunnel, and now he was with two strangers — it was definitely a stressful situation!”
The officers were trying to figure out the best way to calm him down “when something incredible happened,” the shelter said.
A woman approached the officers and told them this was her mom’s missing dog Cooper, officials said. Cooper’s owner was also nearby searching for him after someone said they’d seen him.
“Within minutes, she arrived, and the moment Cooper saw her, his entire demeanor changed,” the shelter said. “He instantly relaxed, and within seconds, they were back together, with Cooper rolling around at his owner’s feet in pure joy, knowing he was finally home.”
A photo shows the happy reunion, then another shows the pup back in the car with his family ready to go home.
“This is the best picture,” someone commented on the post. “He looks like ‘see, I’ve got a family’.”
Cooper’s owner told the officers he had come from the shelter and is “an incredibly cherished member of the family.”
“The past five days had been nothing short of a nightmare for them, and they were terrified they might never see him again,” the shelter said. “This happy ending is exactly why we do what we do.”
This story was originally published January 30, 2025 at 1:11 PM with the headline "‘Heartbroken’ dog owner ‘scoured every inch’ of town — then pup is found in icy tunnel."
