When firefighter Dan Estrada went out the other day, he didn’t expect to rescue a dog.
Estrada wanted to spend some time with Vincent Lopez, an old friend, in the woods near his home in California’s San Lorenzo Valley.
The two friends were walking Estrada’s two dogs down the path. During their walk, they noticed a dog that was not moving.
It was Sage, a blind 12-year-old Labrador who went missing 8 days earlier. The dog somehow wandered off her house and got lost. Sage’s owners were so worried, looking for her and they even called a professional dog tracker. However, they couldn’t find her.
Beth Cole, Sage’s owner, said that her neighbors and other members of the community helped her searching for the missing dog. But, they didn’t have luck finding her. Sage’s family wasn’t really optimistic about finding her because of the mountain lions in the area.
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However, Estrada and Lopez found her lying by the stream. She even lifted her head.
Estrada knew Sage because her owners live nearby and the dog often played with his dogs. When he saw Sage, he ran to her and kissed her.
Sage was in the woods alone for 8 days. She looked tired and weak from this experience, so Estrada carried her up to the hill.
Estrada’s wife contacted Sage’s owners, who immediately took the dog to the vet. Fortunately, Sage was alright.
When neighbors found out Sage was alive, they threw her a welcome home party. One of the neighbors even cooker her a steak! Also, they scheduled a fundraiser for the Santa Cruz County animal shelter at a local bar.
In the meantime, Sage is hanging out with her best friends — Estrada’s dogs, Koelsch the pit bull and Barnabus, the dachshund.
Sage’s owners offered Estrada and Lopez a $1,000 reward. Instead of accepting it, they said the money be should be donated to an animal charity.
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