OC Crash Victim Reunited With Missing Dog Found By CBS2/KCAL9 Viewer
FOUNTAIN VALLEY (CBSLA.com) — An Orange County grandmother who lost her dog after being struck by a car has been reunited with the pooch thanks to a CBS2/KCAL9 viewer.
Jennifer Owen asked for the public's help finding her beloved Chihuahua-mix, Tiki, who ran away during his Monday morning walk in Fountain Valley.
The last thing she remembered was a slow-moving vehicle striking her and knocking her to the pavement as the pup took off running.
"As soon as it was absolutely clear traffic, I stepped off the sidewalk and started crossing," Owen told KCAL9's Stacey Butler. "I remember him getting out of the collar and running across the street. And I remember thinking to myself, 'Thank God he got across safely to the park side and didn't get hit,'" she said.
Shortly after Owen spoke those words on KCAL9, a viewer called in, and the pair were happily reunited.
Owen, 77, was hospitalized but avoided major injury, suffering bruises and cuts to a shoulder and an elbow.
Her daughter, Selena Ferguson, and granddaughter, Fiona, searched all day and put up flyers around Mile Square Park in Fountain Valley. They left their front door open hoping he would run in.
Ferguson also posted an ad on Craigslist, contacted Orange County Animal Care and searched online for found pets before they turned to the public for help.
"We've had him since he was 6 weeks old. If he doesn't come back, I don't know what well do," Owen said before the reunion. "We love him so much."
