Crash victims reunited with dog

Published: December 4, 2005 | 2906th good news item since 2003

A Connecticut couple were reunited with their dog who had run away Thanksgiving Day after a crash on snow-covered Route 17 in Chemung.

Nilla, a 9-month-old Australian shepherd – who may have nine lives – turned up six days later on the porch of a house across the highway from the accident.

“I don’t know how she got across four lanes of traffic and through the fence,” said Naida Walcheski of 435 Simkin Road.

Even more amazing, Nilla was clean and appeared to be well-fed, Walcheski said.

Walcheski said her husband had gone outside the morning of Nov. 29 to get in his Chevy Blazer.

“She jumped right in the car with him,” Walcheski said.

Then Walcheski remembered her sister telling her about a lost dog story she had read in the Nov. 26 Star-Gazette.

She called her sister, who still had the newspaper and gave her the number anyone who found the pet was asked to call.

Nilla’s owners, Steven Landy and his fiance, Samantha Harris, of Vernon, Conn., who were slightly injured when their car crashed, were still at his mother’s house in Jamestown and were able to pick up their pet that day on their way home.

Landy, in an e-mail to the Star-Gazette, praised the Walcheskis for taking in Nilla and caring for her until they arrived. [Found Dogs : Tales of Strays Who Landed on Their Feet]

“Received several e-mails from people (who read the story) that were concerned. Everyone has been so caring and nice to us throughout this entire ordeal,” he wrote.

“They were very happy to see one another,” Walcheski said of the reunion. “It was good to see the family reunited.”

Published in Animals and Reunited
See also: www.stargazettenews.com