BUTTE — A volunteer firefighter from Whitehall is calling it a miracle, but maybe it's just one lucky dog.
"No place like home, huh?" says Dennis Sanchez. An array of dog toys are strewn about the living room floor for his puppy, Shyleigh.
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The six-month-old puppy from Butte was traveling with her human on the way to work three days ago when they got caught in a pile-up on Homestake Pass.
As a semi began to slide in front of Dennis and Shyleigh, another motorist lost control and smashed into their car from behind. Dennis says the puppy bolted up the interstate after escaping his car and was lost in the chaos.
"It was a pretty chaotic scene," says Devon Beth, a volunteer with the Jefferson Valley Rural Fire Department. He says the interstate was covered in a sheet of ice and the pile-up halted traffic for nearly two hours while he and his colleagues cleared the scene.
Beth says over the next couple of days he watched as people posted sightings of the lost puppy on social media.
"I was like, you know what? I wanna find this dog for this person. It’s kind of the reason why I joined the Whitehall Fire Department, is just to be a help to others and maybe make a blessing for them, you know?" says Beth.
Beth says the odds were not good for the eight-pound whiner-dog mix who was lost on top of a mountain pass in the middle of winter. On one side the dog was surrounded by deep snow and a vast forest filled with wild animals like bobcats and mountain lions. On the other side, an interstate full of fast-moving vehicles.
"It was like finding a needle in a haystack, you know. You never know what you’re going to find," says Beth.
He spotted Shyleigh near the bottom of a ravine close to the crash site. She was timid and darted onto a rock. For a moment she was aggressive.
"And then finally I got it in my arms and it was able to just calm down and it started licking my face," says Beth. He says finding the puppy is a miracle.
"Right away I thought this is gonna make that person’s day, you know?"
Devon’s colleague transported Shyleigh back home to Dennis, who says the work of the volunteer firefighters has restored his faith in humanity.
Back in Butte, a day after she was found, Shyleigh bounces from Dennis Sanchez's lap to the floor and back up.
"Is it good to be home?" asks Sanchez, and Shyleigh's ears twitch.
