After a devastating collision took the life of 59-year-old Susan Lunn last Friday, the grieving family is hoping to gain comfort in finding the family dogs that ran away at the scene of the crash.
“These were my mom’s dogs and my dad loved them just as much,” said Jonathan Lunn, the couple’s son.
“He knew that if he had been the one who died and she had survived, she would have been out looking for these dogs too.”
On Sept. 27, two pickup trucks collided head-on on a highway just west of Cowley, Alta.
RCMP said Susan was pronounced dead on scene and her husband Wade Lunn, 60, was taken to hospital with undisclosed injuries.
However, in the vehicle with them were their three dogs: Whisper, Willow and Sherlock. The three dachshunds were separated during the commotion and while Sherlock stayed behind watching over his owners, Willow and Whisper ran.
The couple’s daughter, Shauna Holthe, said Willow was safely located just south of the collision site and returned to the family Thursday evening, just in time to mark an occasion close to her parents’ hearts.
“The thing that was special about Willow coming back last night was that it was my parents’ 39th wedding anniversary,” she said.
“So, we said, ‘Hey, it looks like mom gave you an anniversary present by being able to bring her back.’ It was a nice touch, being able to give that to my dad.”
Wade Lunn was reunited with his dog, Willow, Thursday.While Willow and Wade were able to celebrate a touching reunion, Holthe added finding Whisper would continue to help her father heal.
She said this past week has been hard for the family, but the hope of finding their dog is what’s keeping them moving forward.
“If we find Whisper then it will be a really happy uniting for all of them,” Holthe said.
“At least my dad doesn’t have to mourn the loss of so many all at once.
“With the hope of still finding Whisper, maybe it can be my mom only that my dad’s mourning instead of the dogs too.”
On Saturday, Shauna’s sister-in-law Beth Holthe sent out a social media post asking for the community’s help in locating the missing dog.
The post now has more than 950 shares, with countless encouraging comments of the public offering to help.
“It’s nice to not give up on humanity,” Holthe said.
“To know that people will still show up and care and help. To be there not just for the dogs, but for my family too.”