![]() David Weingarden remembered a silent but instinctive understanding as they started driving to Superior: No matter what it took, they were going to find Jedi.Īfter driving past flaming homes and a burnt-out car, the family found a state patrol officer blocking the only road to the dog care facility. The Weingardens return to Denver, and the search for Jedi begins.Īt this point, the family had just touched down at Denver International Airport. ![]() Beaty/Denverite Jedi the dog peeks in through a sliding glass door in the Weingarden's home in Superior. "I immediately called David, Jedi's owner, and told them he's still there," Creasey said. That included Jedi, but he wouldn't approach the group. Only three dogs were unaccounted for, and they found all of them inside or near the facility. Late that night, Creasey received a call from a group of college-aged kids who read about the situation on social media and somehow managed to reach the boarding facility amid the road closures. By working the phones, Creasey learned many of those dogs found people who took them to nearby shelters. When it did, the flames burned the fence, opening an escape route. Other employees managed to evacuate more dogs before the Marshall fire arrived. "Her amazing, quick thinking probably saved all those dogs' lives," Creasey said. She released the remaining animals into a gravel dog run, turning on outdoor faucets to flood the area in case the flames grew too close. Unable to return, she drove to her Boulder dorm room to coordinate the search for each dog at the facility.Ĭreasey soon learned Dog Tag's owner, Donelle Slater, had managed to load her car with 12 dogs during the evacuation. She left the boarding facility for a lunch break when emergency officials evacuated the town of Superior. Most of the information came from Ellie Creasey, a senior at the University of Colorado Boulder who works at Dog Tag. ![]() The wait was frustrating, but it also gave the Weingardens a chance to piece together Jedi's whereabouts. The first clues to where Jedi could be came from where he was boarded.ĭavid and Michele told their kids about the threat to Jedi during a layover in Houston, where they faced a three-and-a-half-hour flight delay. Beaty/Denverite David, Michele and Sabine Weingarden sit at the kitchen table in their Superior home. It was an experience that's left the Weingardens with gratitude for their community and gnawing guilt for their own good fortune. Thousands reposted the call for help, many of whom texted tips about the dog's location. Those images made the bouncy, bob-tailed mutt a social media symbol of uncertainty amid the most destructive wildfire in Colorado history. He included his cell phone number along with photos of Jedi chewing a stick. "That's when I decided to post the pictures to Twitter and Instagram and Facebook," David Weingarden said. Michele's mind tensed with images of Jedi in pain. Unable to reach the boarding facility, David Weingarden got in touch with a neighbor who confirmed the kennel could be in trouble. The couple scrambled to find more info over the in-flight internet.
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