Dog missing after crash found after being hit by car

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    COLLINSVILLE, IL (KMOV) — The story of 71-year-old Clyde Simmons began as a happy one.

in late June, he was driving from Maine to Colorado to visit family. Everything was fine, until he got to Collinsville road Exit 4A. That’s when his trip turned into a nightmare. The trailer Clyde was towing broke and his car flipped over.

“He some broken ribs and a pretty severe concussion. He took a pretty solid knock to the head, but considering how bad it could’ve been, he’s extremely lucky,” said Clyde’s son, Jason.

Now thankfully, Clyde is recovering nicely, but he lost something irreplaceable in the accident that day, his one-and-a-half year shitzu, Goldie.”

“Goldie fled the scene unfortunately. We think she was really scared and just took off,” said Jason.

For Clyde, a deeper pain than his physical injuries was losing his beloved dog.

“We shared a hotel room in St. Louis and in his sleep I heard him searching for Goldie if that tells you how much she means to him,” Jason said.

Two local organizations with a mission of finding lost dogs then came together to help find Goldie.

“We had 2 sightings on Friday. So we started in the area of the accident and just worked out from there,” said Tina Roe with Min Pin Rescue and Missouri Lost and Found Paws.

They searched the area, posted pictures and created a Facebook page called “Finding Goldie”, and left food with cameras nearby.

“Right now, we have 6 cameras around the area and we intend to place 3 to 4 more cameras tonight,” said Lisa Lewis with Found a Hound Rescue.

Their dedication to a pet they’ve never met and people they don’t really know sends what Jason calls a much-needed message.

“There’s still love and caring out there. There’s still people willing to dedicate themselves and their time to help a complete stranger and I think people need to know that,” Jason added.

On July 13, the “Finding Goldie” Facebook page posted that the missing dog had been hit by a car at Route 111 and Interstate 55/70. The dog was taken to the veterinarian for medical help.

Goldie’s medical care is estimated to cost around $3,000.

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