LOST DOG, JOKER, MAKES IT HOME TO MICHIGAN
Local residents came together to help Michigan dog owners find their lost dog near Wiggins.
A fairy tale came true when Joker, a Michigan dog who went missing on March 12 near I-76, was found.
Sara Heydens and John Burger adopted Joker on Christmas day from an abusive situation. Burger took Joker with him in his semi-truck to drop off a load of roofing materials in Las Vegas. He was traveling I-76 through Colorado and pulled over off exit 60 for a rest but was struck in the middle of the night by another vehicle. The vehicle caught fire and John took Joker away from the truck and tied her up so he could help the other person.
After pulling the other person to safety and the authorities had arrived, he went back to get Joker, but she was gone. After searching, Heydens began posting messages on Facebook in the area in hopes that someone would spot her.
Burger’s truck had to be towed back to Michigan while he and Heydens jumped in their pickup and headed back to Colorado. Heydens contacted every animal shelter she could find from Brush to Denver. She posted on Facebook and asked for anyone and everyone to share, and contacted The Fort Morgan Times asking for help in spreading her story.
While traveling to Colorado, locals printed and hung posters to aid in the search.
Heydens was contacted by people who she didn’t know who offered help when they arrived in Colorado. One man from Fort Morgan contacted Haydens and told her that he frequently drove through the area and would keep an eye out for Joker. He offered help from himself and a friend when they arrived.
When Burger and Heydens got to Colorado, they met with those who offered help in the search and they went off-roading, searching with infrared drones, spotting scopes, and other equipment. They also went up in a plane to search. Joker had been spotted in several locations along the highway and frontage roads and had even been seen sleeping in a fire pit
surrounded by garbage to keep warm.
“These were strangers that helped us,” said Heydens. “These people all came together to help me find our baby girl who was lost out in the middle of nowhere in Colorado. I was blown away by the support.”
On the final day, before returning to Michigan, Heydens stood on a hill by the accident site. She thought, ‘this was the last chance I had to go look for her before I have to go back to Michigan.’
“I started crying. ‘I can’t leave without her. What am I going to do?’” she asked herself.
“Right then, my phone rang,” continued Heydens. “It was Amy Johnson and Karen Storie from a Facebook page called ‘I-70 Corridor Lost and Found Dogs/ Pets.’ They told me that they had seen my fliers and posts about Joker and wanted to help.”
Storie and Johnson run their Facebook page, I-70 Corridor Lost and Found Dogs/Pets, to allow others to post fliers and information about their missing pets. They had followed along with posts keeping track of Joker and trying to see what kind of a pattern she was establishing after running away. After searching the area, the Michigan couple returned home.
After 11 days, Heydens received a call that Joker had been spotted at the Empire Reservoir near Wiggins. She contacted the I-70 Corridor group and they set up trail cameras and traps. They grilled food in to hope to attract Joker and waited until dark.
A half-hour into their trip back to the Denver area, their camera sent a notification that Joker had been spotted and she had gone into the trap. They forwarded the picture to Heydens. Sure enough, it was Joker.
Heydens and her son flew to Denver the next day and rented a car. Johnson and Storie had taken Joker home, bathed her, fed her, and given her a warm place to sleep. Her skin was very