BUTTE — The rescue of Brody, an 8-month-old golden lab, has captured the attention of many in Butte and around the state as a small group of dedicated volunteers continues to try to lure him to safety.
The young dog became lost in the woods east of Butte after his owners were involved in a crash on Interstate 90 on Feb. 11 and the dog ran away in fright.
Many volunteers searched for the dog, who was eventually found in a densely wooded area last Sunday, but the animal is too timid to approach his rescuers. The Butte Animal Shelter donated a live trap to the crew to try to capture the scared dog, but have had no luck.
Experts say a dog that has experienced a traumatic event like a car crash will often hide and be too afraid to approach people.
“It's like post-traumatic stress syndrome just like humans have. And they'll have flashbacks, so the noise of highway or any kind of cars or anything like that is just going to send him scampering back. Other animals are going to terrify him, just anything that's going to trigger what he went through,” said Animal Services Coordinator Lynette Hogart.
She said they have a better chance of catching the dog if people stay away from the scene.
