A devasted Roberta Slosson vowed to keep searching for Buddy, her brindle boxer who went missing after a rollover crash near Orcutt on Thursday.
“I don’t think I can give up,” she told Noozhawk on Saturday as she posted fliers along East Clark Avenue, east of Highway 101.
The Garey resident said she planned to search again Sunday for the 9-year-old dog, which had not been seen since the crash on East Clark Avenue near Presqu’ile Winery.
She wouldn’t have to. Late Saturday, Buddy was found in good condition and reunited with his overjoyed owner.
“He has been found … safe,” Slosson wrote in a Facebook message to Noozhawk early Sunday. “Banged up but not broken.”
In a subsequent message, she said she had received two calls about 9:45 p.m. Saturday, one from an Orcutt man and another from a Lake Marie Estates resident. Both said they had spotted Buddy by the development’s clubhouse.
“When I arrived, he wasn’t there, but we found him by the trees,” she said. “He was scared, and it took him a couple of seconds to assure himself it was me.”
An elated Slosson said she pinched herself to make sure her exhaustion was not playing tricks on her. But her 2½-day ordeal — and Buddy’s — was over.
“I offered them (the men who found Buddy) a reward, but they said my happiness and the joy on my face was enough for them,” she said.
Slosson, her husband and their two boxers, Buddy and his canine sibling, were in a Jeep that rolled over after a collision with a semi truck Thursday morning east of Lake Marie Estates, the California Highway Patrol said.
The Slossons complained of pain, but were not transported to the hospital after their Jeep ended up on its rooftop.
There were no other injuries in the crash, which remains under CHP investigation.
Shortly after the wreck, a woman called to say she had found the uninjured female boxer in Lake Marie Estates.
Buddy remained missing two days later.
“I’m thankful that these are farm fields; at least he has water because it’s hot,” Slosson said.
Those who saw Buddy after the crash gave vague details. A farm worker from a nearby lettuce field said she saw the dog lie down by a tree and that he wasn’t walking well.
The Slossons have had Buddy and his sister since birth. Their mother was also part of the family.
“They sleep in my bed, these are my babies,” Slosson said, calling them her “replacement children” since her own kids are adults.
Thursday night marked the first time Buddy had slept outside, she said.
“He’s a special dog,” she said, adding that he requires medication and special food due to allergies.
While more people are familiar with pit bulls, Slosson said Buddy has the typical flat nose of a boxer. The graying, neutered dog also has a big underbite, she said.
“Buddy is an old dog,” she said, calling him a “sweetheart.”
“Even my sister who doesn’t even like dogs is out here looking for Buddy,” Slosson added.
One caller said he saw a man walking a boxer, but Slosson later determined it was her husband and their female dog walking in the area while trying to find Buddy.
Slosson has been out on the hunt for the dog despite the heat or darkness, or her own soreness from the crash.
The thought that Buddy may be injured and alone made it hard to sleep. She acknowledged he might not have survived, but was determined to find him for closure.
Some people have said she should just wait to see if Buddy shows up at home — more than three miles from the crash site — but Slosson said she would not stop searching yet.
Her hope for a happy ending comes from hearing stories like the one about a dog that jumped out of car on the freeway after a crash yet made its way home four days later, she said.
After Thursday’s wreck, Slosson posted the family’s plight on Facebook, and news of the missing Buddy traveled quickly among the local pet-related groups. The dog is microchipped, which helps if he is turned in to a shelter or veterinary clinic.
Slosson is comforted when learning how widely word of Buddy’s disappearance has spread. One man reassured the Slossons that nearby property owners, field workers and wineries know Buddy’s tale and are keeping an eye out for the boxer. They also conveyed the missing dog story to those in other canyons.
“I’m just telling you this community has really come out to find Buddy,” she said.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.