Linda Oswald’s family was driving in their Yukon on Sunday in North Idaho when they collided with another car, sending their border collie and red heeler mix Tilly through the rear window.
Tilly survived but took off from the crash site on State Highway 41, running across the prairie at Hayden Avenue in Rathdrum.
Oswald posted on Facebook Sunday about the missing dog, writing that Tilly is “shy” and is a “reddish brown male with (black) markings on his face.” Oswald said she and her husband Mike were offering a reward for Tilly.
Idaho State Police also put out a press release, saying Tilly is 2 years old and “wearing a multi-colored plaid and tan-colored collar,” last seen “running northwest from the crash scene through the field.”
Zane Potter noticed Tuesday morning that one of their dogs on the farm, 1.5 miles from the crash scene, had a different coat and realized it wasn’t their Australian shepherd, The Spokesman-Review reported.
Potter said their family’s sheep “were getting scared” and discovered that Tilly had been herding sheep, KHQ reported. The Potters lured Tilly out using some salami, according to the station.
A Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office deputy came by, looking for Tilly, according to The Spokesman-Review. Zane recognized the dog from the Facebook post and handed the dog over.
Oswald said that she and Mike thought they’d never see Tilly again, KHQ reported.
“Every night when I’d come home I’d go, ‘We’re never seeing him again. We’re just never seeing him. He’s long gone,’ ” she said.
Oswald said that Tilly lost weight since the car crash but is “otherwise healthy,” according to the station.
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