Linda Oswald spent two days crying after her beloved border collie went missing.
The Oswalds had been driving on Idaho State Highway 41 when they got in a collision. Tilly the dog, who had been riding in the back of their SUV, was ejected from the vehicle during the crash.
While Linda and her relatives were still struggling to get out of the car, Tilly took off at a run across the prairie south of Rathdrum. Good Samaritans who stopped to help ran after him and searched for hours, but he was nowhere to be found.
“People just kept going out, 2:30 in the morning some people were out looking for him,” Linda said.
They spent all of the next day searching high and low for Tilly. Finally, “sore and exhausted,” Linda asked for help on Facebook. Over 3,000 people shared the post, and by the next day, the whole town was on the lookout for the sweet pup.
Two days later, members of the Potter family noticed something strange about their Australian shepherd, whose name is Hooey. First, Tyler Potter mentioned that Hooey’s coat looked a bit different, more red than black and white. Later, Zane Potter tried to call Hooey, but the dog wouldn’t come.
The farming family knew about Tilly’s disappearance because of the Facebook post, so the penny finally dropped, and they realized they weren’t seeing their own dog at all. It was Tilly out there, and he was trying to herd their sheep!
“I think that dog was trying to herd,” Travis Potter said. When Linda heard where he’d been found, she was positive that’s what he was doing.
“He’ll herd anything,” she said. “When I go to the dog park, he tries to herd the people into one group.”
Linda and her family members are ecstatic to have their good boy back home, and they’re grateful to everyone who helped make it happen. As for Tilly, he was totally unharmed, but he did sleep for an entire day after his big farming adventure!
That herding instinct can be so strong! We’re glad Tilly found something productive to do while he was waiting for his rescue.
Share this story to welcome him home.
Want to be happier in just 5 minutes a day? Sign up for Morning Smile and join over 455,000+ people who start each day with good news.