Service Dog Missing after Crash. Week Later, What Teens Find Leaves Family 'Ugly Crying'
Dogs are our constant companions and faithful friends. For Kevin the Golden Retriever and his owner, Blaze Gottschalk, this was more than true.
Kevin is Gottschalk’s service dog and helps him with anxiety and depression. Gottschalk describes Kevin as “my everything.”
“That dog is perfect to me. That’s why I’ve done everything that I have in the last week to get him back.”
On August 15, Gottschalk was driving through Lyndon Station, Wisconsin, on his way to Illinois with Kevin to visit family when he blacked out. While unconscious, he swerved into the left lane.
Once he regained consciousness, he swerved into the right lane and hit a semi, which sent him flying into the median, his car rolling and glass breaking. When he realized what had happened, Kevin was gone.
Thankfully, Gottschalk was only treated for a small cut in his arm and was fine otherwise. The same could not be said of Kevin who bolted after the crash and was nowhere to be found.
When Gottschalk returned home to Minnesota, he, Dana Daniels, and Kris Lee set up a GoFundMe to help raise funds for the search and rescue effort. Daniels was Kevin’s trainer and Lee a friend who also knew Kevin.
They needed funds in order to take time off work, stay in hotels, and pay for any medical interventions Kevin might need upon finding him. They were dedicated to finding him.
In Lyndon Station, an entire community was also helping to find Kevin. Several people had spotted him, so the whole team had a lot of hope they would find him.
Finally, on Tuesday Aug. 22, brothers Alex and Kyle Hadac recognized Kevin along the side of the highway near the crash site. After calling his name a few times, they said, “Kevin, come on, let’s go,” he followed them.
The brothers said they both had butterflies when they found him. They brought him to a vet, and Kevin was treated for a few minor injuries.
Soon after, Gottschalk traveled to the vet to be reunited with his best friend. “I already loved you,” Gottschalk said to Kevin, petting him lovingly, “Why did you have to do this to make me show it on the news?”
After reuniting with Kevin, Gottschalk got to meet Alex and Kyle at a party in celebrating Kevin in Lyndon Station Park. Gottschalk said he was very grateful to the boys, all the people, and police for their efforts to reunite him with Kevin.
It is awesome what people can do when they work together. Gottschalk and Kevin are happily reunited thanks to the efforts of an entire town who cared!
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