Dog survives 19 days to be reunited with owners for Christmas

Happy Family - Angelica Carmichael and her daughter Madison and son, Ryan, were reunited with their dog Max on Monday after he was hit by a vehicle and went missing for 19 days. A well-communicated effort by local police, ODOT employees and a veterinarian clinic in The Dalles were able to make it happen.

Good Communication Key to Max’s return

By Tom Peterson

On the afternoon of Dec. 2, Oregon State Police Trooper Michael Holloran received a call for help to recover some lost property.

This property was very special - a two-year-old German Shepherd named Max. He has a penchant for kissing his owner’s faces and waging his tail. And he just generally is a very bright spot in the lives of the Carmichael family. 

On this day, the family was driving home to Eugene with their travel trailer. Mother and father, Angelica and Matt and their two children Madison and Ryan were coming from Arizona after visiting their son in the Air Force.

They pulled over at the westbound Memaloose Rest Area to take a break. 

And Max got a bit rambunctious. When they opened the door on the travel trailer, he escaped Madison’s grasp and bolted into the middle of Interstate-84.

OSP Trooper Michael Holloran

The yellow and black bundle of fur was confused by the fast vehicles and was then grazed by one or two vehicles, Trooper Holloran said.

“The dog took off with the injury,” he said. “I tried to help locate the dog and some good samaritans in Rowena helped search too.”

But to no avail and the Carmichaels returned home missing a family member.

Holloran also alerted other law enforcement officials to the situation and called Columbia Veterinary Hospital to let them know that the dog was injured and missing in the area. 

“The family came up several times to look for the dog. They even brought a thermal imager but they did not find Max. They finally figured someone picked him up,” Holloran said. 

The family was heartbroken. 

Nineteen days later on Monday afternoon, Dec. 21, three Oregon Department of Transportation employees - Taylor Stafford, Luis Alvarado and Daniel Lopez -  spotted a dog in a canal near the same rest area. They remembered receiving an email from Oregon State Police in regard to the lost German Shepherd and called for law enforcement to see if it was a match. 

Wasco County Deputy Kirstin Leroue took the call and spoke with the ODOT workers before arriving. She remembered from Holloran’s information that the Dog’s name was Max and told him.

“The ODOT worker on the phone turned and yelled to his coworkers, “I think the dog’s name is Max.” 

“The dog immediately turned his head and looked at the guy,” Holloran said.

Leroue took the dog to Columbia Veterinary Hospital where he was bathed and fed. 

Columbia’s Allison Parke said Max was covered with sand “so, we gave him a bath and fed him a couple of meals. He immediately laid on the blankets on the ground and went to sleep. He was very tired and a very sweet boy.” He had just minor injuries from the vehicle that grazed him.

OSP notified the Carmichael family and they began driving immediately from Eugene. They were slowed by the torrential rain. 

Parke and Columbia Veterinarian’s Stephanie AAmadt stayed late that evening to reunite max with his family. 

It was 6:55 p.m. when Madison, Angelica and Ryan Carmichael arrived.

“Max knew right away who they were and was so excited giving them kisses, everyone was teary-eyed,” Parke said. “In one group photo, he leaned into Angelica - pretty precious.”

“It was a great experience,” Parke said. 

Holloran called it a Christmas Miracle.

“Given how hard this year has been, it is nice when something like this happens,” Parke added.

ODOT workers Luis Alvaredo, Daniel Lopez and Taylor Stafford are pictured here in the chartreuse jackets. Angelica, Madison and Ryan Carmichael stand with Max the miracle dog. Wasco County Deputy Kirstin Leroue and Columbia Veterinary Hospitals Allison Parke and Stephanie Aamadt, pictured on the right made the rescue possible.