Lost pup reunited with El Dorado Hills family after auto accident

It was a day no one wants to experience, but miraculously a local couple and their beloved dog made it through a terrifying event and a journey to reunite relatively unscathed. Stefanie and Duane Lindsay and their rescue pup, Roo, were heading back to El Dorado Hills after spending a relaxing day trip in the coastal town of Bodega Bay, when they were hit by a drunk driver on Aug. 1. "It could have been a thousand times worse and went a thousand different ways … but we are doing fine. We are a little shaken up and sore, but we are OK," said Stefanie. Roo, who just turned three, is a smiley, unique looking pooch, white with black spots, a Jack Russell/Terrier/Pit, German short-haired Pointer mix. Saturday evening in the Fairfield area, a car came up from the left-hand side of the freeway and hit the car Stefanie, Duane and Roo were driving in, she said. The car "fishtailed" out of control and flipped, landing amongst trees in what Stefanie described as a "gully" or ravine. At some point, Roo was ejected from the vehicle. "As soon as we landed, we checked on each other to make sure we were OK. Within two seconds, Duane turns around to look for Roo in the car because she was sitting in the back seat. And we were calling for her and yelling for her, realizing she wasn't in the car. We got out and immediately started looking for her," said Stefanie, after calling 9-1-1. "Paramedics and CHP arrived and assessed that Duane and I were OK, we told them our dog was thrown from the car, we can't find her, they were so sweet and they said, 'We have dogs. We promise we will look for her. We understand how important they are," said Stefanie. The search began for Roo. CHP had gotten a tip that Roo might be running down the side of the road, close to Highway 12. They searched the area and couldn't find her. When the couple arrived at the hospital, they came across a post on the Solano County Fire Department Facebook page about the traffic accident they had been involved in. "Someone had commented on that post and said they saw a dog on the side of the road. Somehow Duane caught wind of the page (someone had suggested it at the hospital), he posted and said that this is our dog Roo, this is what she looks like (and included a photo), if anyone has information let us know," said Stefanie. Animal Services was contacted the next morning and they were given more resources and guidance to try and find her. A plethora of platforms were used in their search efforts, including the SPCA of Solano County, Suisun City/Fairfield/Cordelia Lost and Found Pets, Fairfield Fire Department, CHP, and Folsom Chat. The community came together in hopes of finding Roo. "I posted a few pictures and the story on the Solano County Community group and from there, folks started sharing it on their personal timelines, tagging CHP and SPCA," said Duane, who also shared that Roo's chip information was posted by a friend on a dog finder website, allowing for an alert to be put out to shelters in surrounding counties. Friends and loved ones were a big part of the search and rescue effort for Roo. "I was out searching with my dad and mom the night of the accident and then we were out at first light retracing our steps," said Stefanie. "Our family drove down and spent nearly 12 hours combing the area looking in ditches and fields and neighborhoods within a 10-mile perimeter. We spoke with the homeless community who was really helpful with leads on sightings of her in addition to hundreds of shares on social media platforms from thousands of miles away trying to help us find her," said Taryn Grows, Stefanie's sister. During the search, Stefanie and her family ran into several people (strangers before that interaction) that had seen the posts online about Roo and offered to help find her. "People physically gave up their Sunday morning and came out to look for her, on bicycles, in cars, walking, someone even brought binoculars," said Stefanie. After a long night and searching the next day, Roo was finally found, sitting underneath a tree at the end of a cul de sac. "I got out of the truck and wailed her name, it took her a minute to register who I was, and then she just ran at me, jumping and licking me," said an emotional Stefanie. Duane, who was recovering from a fractured sternum, greeted the pair and "she was all over him," said Stefanie about a reunion the three of them were so happy to have. Roo was taken to an emergency vet to get checked out and got a good bill of health. "She had some road rash, but no broken bones, no organ damage. They said it's a miracle that she made it through what had happened," said Stefanie. The three amigos are home resting and recuperating, and the couple wanted to extend a special thanks to the collective people that helped them find their beautiful pup. "We wouldn't have found her if the community hadn't come out and supported her the way they did, all of our friends, family and even strangers, sharing photos of her, posting on social media. I don't think we would have found her if those people didn't rally together. We want to give credit where credit is due," said Stefanie gratefully. See video footage of the emotional moment Roo was reunited with her worried owners on the Folsom Telegraph's Facebook or by CLICKING HERE.