Dog back home after being missing 3 days near flooded DuPage River in Plainfield, Illinois
A dog is back home after going missing for three days near the flooded Dupage River.
Just by looking at the golden retriever named Bear, you can tell he's been through a lot.
It started on Thursday when McKinley Sochacki and her husband were outside their home near downtown Plainfield.
"Some drunk guy came up to him and grabbed him and tried to pet him, and he freaked out and ran in the street," Sochacki said.
She says two cars hit Bear as he scurried off and they lost him. He disappeared near the Dupage River and was nowhere to be found.
"We probably had 30 people searching the first night, and we still could not find him," Sochacki said.
They posted flyers, used a thermal drone, and searched for Bear all weekend.
"We got so much rain the last few days and the river flooded horribly. I've actually never seen it flood this much."
Three nights passed and there was still no sign of the golden retriever. That's until Sochacki and her family came back out to search for Bear on Sunday and her dad says he heard a faint bark in the distance.
"And it had to be him or another dog. There's no reason for a dog to be back in that swamp," said Eric Underwood.
Eric, who is Sochacki's dad, and her brother, Trevor Underwood, found Bear with his collar caught on a branch, neck deep in the rising water.
"And finally we get there and we get the dog and he's covered in stuff," Trevor said.
"It's an amazing story because probably five more minutes and he wouldn't have made it," Sochacki said.
They drove Bear to a local vet, checked for broken bones and shaved him for ticks and burs. Sochacki said he is doing pretty well for a dog that got hit by a car twice and survived two thunderstorms.
In the end, he only walked away with some infections and rashes. He is now at home resting along with his brother Gus and the rest of his family, who still can't believe he made it out alive.
"My dad is a hero and Bear barking is a miracle because he never does that," Sochacki said.
"Glad we found him because he's part of the family, so anyone would do it," Eric said.
The family says they plan to get Bear a GPS collar going forward.
