As the owner raises funds to return to the region, local residents are still searching for a Colorado woman’s seizure-alert dog named Heidi, who went missing after an accident that occurred last month while they were traveling through the area.
Bridget Spangler, Heidi’s owner, said she first went missing on May 21 when the driver of the vehicle she was in suffered a medical emergency and wrecked their truck on route 43, just inside the West Virginia state line from Pennsylvania.
In the chaos, Heidi jumped out of the passenger side window while Spangler was attending to the driver, who was unconscious.
“Heidi is a vital part of my everyday life,” Spangler said. “She is trained to alert if I’m going to have a seizure as well as get help if I’m alone.”
Spangler said Heidi has already saved her life twice when she was unconscious having grand mal seizures.
In the days after the accident, there were several reports of “Heidi sightings” where homeowners spotted the German shepherd mix on doorbell cameras and near Seghi’s 5 Lakes fishing camp.
It has now been nearly a month since the accident and sightings have dropped off.
“With lack of sightings and money low I had to return to Colorado without her,” Spangler said. “Her last known location was the Gans Road exit. She was seen in fields on both sides of the road. She could be anywhere by now.”
Heidi is a brown and black German shepherd/deerhound mix, with some white underneath her chest and belly.
At the time of the accident, Heidi was wearing a purple collar with two white reflective strips that had a Larimer County, Colo. rabies tag. She is also spayed and microchipped. If scanned, the microchip will come back with Spangler’s information.
“I’m lost without her and I’m trying to raise money to go back to West Virginia and do another door-to-door search,” Spangler said. “I’ve set up a new Go Fund Me to assist with the costs of going back to search again.” The GoFundMe link is https://gofund.me/8225ca6b.
Local residents like Lou Ann Hunchuck and her daughter Jennifer are trying to help Spangler by continuing to search here locally.
Hunchuck said they saw Heidi the night of the accident running on the overpass and then under it. “We tried to catch her then. Breaks our hearts,” she said.
Another local resident named Margaret, who requested her last name not be published, is also helping out as a local contact and following up on any leads that come in on Heidi’s whereabouts.
“Right now until we get a sighting, all I can do is drive the roads where she was,” Margaret said.
Both Margaret and Spangler said if you see Heidi — do not call out her name.
“Heidi will be in survival mode by now so please don’t chase her or call her,” Spangler said. “Take pictures and follow at a distance if possible.”
Margaret added if she runs, which is what she has been doing, try to get a picture then call with the location and direction she was heading.
You can call or text Spangler at 719-640-2651 or Margaret at 724-562-5807 if you think you have seen Heidi.
Spangler said there is also a reward for her return, with no questions asked.
“If Heidi is with someone, please let her come home. She is very bonded to me and I miss her so very much,” she said. “I know she is a wonderful and beautiful dog, but she already has a family that will never stop searching for her.
“If she isn’t going to be coming home, remember she loves laser lights and she eats Purina dog chow,” Spangler said. “And could you please let me know she is safe.”
Spangler said in addition to her phone number she can be reached by email at bspangler2018@gmail.com.
“I answer all calls and texts and I will keep searching for her until I know she is safe or she is found and coming home,” she said. “My heart is broken without her and I can’t just walk away without knowing she is OK.”
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