A San Diego couple whose dog went missing last month following a deadly head-on car crash in Arizona will soon be reunited with their beloved pet, according to friends. Thomas Rodriguez and Andrea Mawby survived the Oct. 14 crash but were unable to look for their black lab mix named Obi immediately following the accident as they remained hospitalized.
Witnesses reported seeing Obi fleeing the scene of the crash outside of Keyenta, Arizona, and was missing when emergency services arrived on scene, according to a neighbor of the dog’s owners, Hannah Allen.
Rodriquez and Mawby were airlifted to a Flagstaff hospital with serious injuries while the woman driving the other car did not survive her injuries.
Thomas' mom Nicole Rodriguez described how the dog got loose: "When Thomas turned around, he noticed the dog was not there, but the back windows were open. We don't know what the force of the impact that Obi was able to jump out and was startled." Back in San Diego, neighbors got the word out on social media using the hashtag #FindOBI.
Allen said that many friends and family stepped in to look for Obi including local rescue groups Tuba Humane Society and Yavapai Humane Trappers Animal Search & Rescue who lead the ground search. Support from all over came via social media and a Facebook post on the search for Obi was shared over 150,000 times.
“With expertise from local rescuers Britt Kendall, Katrina Karr and Leann Weber, the land surrounding the accident was thoroughly searched and humane traps were set in effort to bring Obi home safely,” Allen stated via email.
Obi will be reunited with his owners late Sunday night, according to the couple's friends.
Allen updated a previous Facebook post with details of Obi's rescue: