This browser does not support the Video element.
Dog escaped during crash, community rallies to find her
Haley Hinds reports
CLEARWATER, Fla. - After almost a week on the run, a dog named Mya Angel was finally reunited with her owner in Clearwater, just in time for the new year, thanks to a huge community effort sparked by social media.
It's all thanks to social media and a huge community search effort.
Christmas Eve, Janine Brown and her dog were involved in a crash at McMullen Booth Road and 590. First responders arrived to help free Brown from her vehicle.
"She told them when they were taking the dog out, the dog is friendly but she kind of runs," said Brown's friend Julie Kelsey. "Janine could see the dog starting to buck and she tried to say something but they had to cut everything out the car to get her out."
Six days after a crash, Janine Brown was reunited with her dog, Mya Angel.
In the stress of the situation, Mya got loose and took off.
"Janine and her brother looked for a few hours with nothing, the police looked," Kelsey said.
Clearwater police put out a call for help on Facebook and local dog lovers got on the case, lead by Kelsey. Groups searched by foot and bike, hanging fliers throughout the community.
"People kept commenting where they were seeing her and it was all within this neighborhood," Kelsey said.
There were sightings, here and there, in the Del Oro neighborhood. Then, farther west, over the weekend, someone said they fed the dog chicken before she got scared and ran off again.
"Sunday, we started getting reports she went across the bridge and that's when I think Janine started to get a little discouraged," Kelsey said.
But discouragement turned to joy Monday morning. Mya Angel was found on Brigadoon Drive, amazingly, near a townhome where she used to live a year and a half ago.
"Six days of this, nobody ever gave up," Kelsey said. "Janine had me pull into her garage, she shut it and got out and it was an emotional moment for them, everyone's crying."
The vet said Mya, who is microchipped, is pretty worn out, with a few cuts and bruises. It's nothing a few days of rest can't heal.
"What I want to know is how much ground that dog covered," Kelsey said.
Thankfully, Mya Angel had angels of her own watching along the way.
"That dog was everything for her. She times her day so she's not away from her for too long," Kelsey said. "Janine said the one thing she's seen is how people can come together and it's so great with things that go on today, how people can come together."
As for Brown, now she can finally rest and heal. Unfortunately, she suffered broken ribs in the crash. But she's blown away by the response and wants to thank everyone who played a part in bringing Mya back home.