Social media & dog-loving trucker takes Koda on 1,380-mile ride home, lost bull mastiff
http://journalstar.com/news/local/dog-loving-trucker-takes-koda-on--mile-ride-home/article_4e00fc80-c2a0-54a1-8423-7312039b152b.html
Koda, the runaway bull mastiff, was reunited with her family in Arizona thanks to the power of dog lovers and social media.
Within one hour of Koda’s story being posted on the Lincoln Journal Star website Friday evening, a cross-country truck driver from Ashland volunteered to let the 95-pound dog ride shotgun on a 24-hour haul. By Monday night, the long-lost dog was back home with her family, doggedly insisting that Dani Windham, her “mom," hold her paw and snuggle....
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Dimmitt had heard about Koda from a Facebook friend, Mindy Mahoney, who knew he often traveled cross country as a long-haul truck driver.
It just so happened that Dimmitt was home in Ashland, preparing to head out to California at 6 p.m. Sunday.
“There was no hesitation on my part,” said Dimmitt, a self-declared dog lover.
The only caveat, he needed to have Koda by 5 p.m. Sunday.
And that launched a race to find someone with the veterinary clinic who could release the dog.
“It took an army of volunteers and caring angels to pull this off,” Dani Windham said.
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Meanwhile, Lost Pets of Lancaster County put together a “go bag” for Koda, complete with food, treats, a collar, leash and harness.
Along the route, Dimmitt and his girlfriend, Lori Wischmann, texted the Windhams updates and photos of Koda in the big rig.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A dog-loving Nebraska trucker has taken a lost 95-pound bull mastiff on a 1,380-mile trip back to her owners in Arizona.
The Lincoln Journal Star reports (
http://bit.ly/ZGjMEo ) Dani and Jason Windham were getting ready for their Aug. 4 wedding in Nebraska when their three dogs knocked down a fence and ran. Animal control found the other two, but not Koda.
Seven days later, the Windhams moved to Camp Verde, Arizona. Last week, Koda was found after a farmer reported a dog chasing his cattle about 40 miles away from where she disappeared.
The Windhams couldn't afford to fly her back, so a lost pets group in Nebraska put out a call for help. Truck driver Jimmy Dimmit answered.
Koda got to ride in the front seat during the 24-hour drive. She was reunited with her happy owners Monday.
http://www.netzero-news.net/news/read/category/Top%20News/article/the_associated_press-nebraska_trucker_returns_bull_mastiff_to_arizona-ap
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