Faithful pup Poncho led deputies to his missing owner, then vanished. But this tale ends with a wag
- Share via
An 85-year-old woman who recently went missing in rural California was found with the help of her furry friend.
The dog led authorities to his at-risk owner, who’d wandered away from a senior-living home. But in a tragic twist, her faithful canine companion Poncho vanished shortly after rescuers ferried his owner to safety — prompting authorities to urge residents to keep an eye out for the missing mutt.
Barbara Dee Crosby went missing from Skyline Place, a senior living home in Sonora, Calif., around 10 a.m. Saturday. Deputies believe Crosby, who has dementia, left the home on foot with Poncho, a tan Chihuahua mix, according to the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office.
A search-and-rescue team led by the Sheriff’s Office alongside local residents and the California Highway Patrol was tasked with finding her.
But on Sunday, reported sightings of Poncho came flooding in around 9 p.m., according to authorities.
Rescue crews hiked down a 70-foot embankment to search the area near East Bald Mountain Road. The team spotted Poncho under a clump of brush and found Crosby asleep on the ground nearby.
The tale of Sydney, a rescue dog who provided solace and companionship for evacuees from the Eaton fire.
Due to the steep terrain and dense vegetation, rescuers had to extract Crosby using a litter and rope system, deputies said.
The sheriff’s office posted “a special thank you to Poncho, whose loyalty and presence near Barbara’s location helped lead us to her — truly the unsung hero of this rescue.”
Crosby was taken to a nearby hospital for assessment.
From there, attention turned to Poncho, who went missing shortly after helping lead authorities to Crosby.
But like with his owner, Poncho’s tale had a happy ending — and maybe a wag or two.
In an emailed statement Wednesday, the sheriff’s office said that Poncho had been found. He was located about two miles from where he was last seen, according to a Facebook post from Tuolumne County Animal Control.
“He was dehydrated, but after being examined by a veterinarian and brought back to the shelter, he’s now doing very well,” the post said.
“Thank you to everyone who shared and searched. Because of you, Poncho’s story has a very happy ending.”
More From the Los Angeles Times
Podcasts
It turns out you can burn down a neighborhood and not destroy a community. We’ve seen evidence of this all across L.A. and so we will head back to one neighborhood that’s a good example of that bond: West Poppyfields Drive in Altadena.
Today we discuss one of the pivotal events of the 1960s: the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy. Though the gunman was caught at the scene, confessed at trial, and even bragged about the shooting, his motives have largely been forgotten.
For this episode of De Los Podcast, hosts Fidel Martínez and Suzy Exposito sit down with Sen Dog, founding member and rapper of Cypress Hill — one of the first Latino hip-hop groups to break into the American mainstream.
