A trucker was reunited with her furry co-pilot this week after an unfortunate crash caused the pup to flee the scene.
The accident happened on Friday, April 30th, near Grand Crossing, Illinois, but the dog and driver were not reunited until Monday, May 3rd.
According to Block Club Chicago, trucker Kayla Malone and Dolla the dog have been driving together since Dolla was just two months old, and this is the first time the two have ever been separated.
Malone explains that she got her truck stuck under a low-clearance bridge near 63rd and State streets, and the impact startled Dolla, who quickly jumped out of an open window and ran away.
“It’s crazy. He jumped out. It scared the sh–t out of him, literally, because he jumped out of the truck, took a crap, and the rest is history up until Monday morning,” Malone said.
After Dolla fled the scene, Malone spent several hours searching for him, but to no avail, so she began checking local dog-spotting sites in hopes that someone else would spot him.
A short time after the wreck, someone reported seeing a dog running near 41st Street and Lake Shore Drive, almost four miles from where the wreck ocurred. Then, another report came in describing a dog matching Dolla’s description walking south on Lake Shore Drive – that person contacted animal control. Another Good Samaritan reported a sighting at 55th and Woodlawn on Saturday, but Malone was feeling more and more helpless.
“I had no hope because of the traffic,” she said. “I just knew he was gonna end up dead.”
However, early on Monday morning, Malone received a call from her vet, who was listed as the contact on Dolla’s collar, stating that someone had found Dolla and was taking care of him at the loading dock near the Museum of Science and Industry.
“I was thinking, ‘OK, he went back to somewhere where there [were] semis, maybe thinking it was me,” Malone said.
Thankfully, construction workers working near the dock had been feeding and caring for the pup, and that’s where he stayed until Malone was able to make her way back to Illinois.
“I’m not used to good people, but all the help that I received from the Chicagoans these past three days — sharing posts and inspiring words and hopeful words — I have a whole different outlook on people in the world, period, and especially Chicago,” she said.
“The fact that we got reunited in Chicago from the help of the people, I mean, it speaks volumes. They were very worried. A lot of people were concerned and crying tears before I cried tears when they found that we were reunited.”
Luckily for the two, their story ended happily. Now, Malone just says she wishes Dolla could tell her all about his experience.
“For him to have been out there for, what, three days, three nights?” Malone said. “I wish he could talk because I know he has a few stories to tell.”