A dog survived both a fatal car accident and 19 days alone in the wilderness near Iron Chest Road in Chaffee County, Colorado. His owner, Samantha Orr was hurt in the crash and sadly, her mom, Jennifer, 43, died. One-year-old Bentley, a Golden Doodle was thrown out of the jeep when it went off the road and down the mountainside. The dog was seen running away. For Samatha, it was a difficult time to cope with as she mourned her mom and worried about her dog, Fox News reported.

Volunteers helped to search for the dog in the wilderness

According to KOAA news, volunteers and family started the search for Bentley, but there was no sign of the dog.

After her discharge from the hospital, Samantha started a Facebook page hoping that if someone found the dog, they would contact her. Volunteers stepped up even more when she returned to the area to hunt for Bentley. She was very touched by strangers who stepped in to help her with the search. At the time, she had no idea if her dog was injured or even alive after being thrown from the jeep in the fatal accident. She told KOAA News that “Some people, including myself, questioned whether he would have survived the accident...but I feel there’s more and more evidence that he did.”

Samantha didn't want to give up as the weeks went by as she believed someone would have found the body of the dog if he had died.

It didn't help that Bentley is a shy animal and possibly, with the trauma of the accident was less likely to approach the searchers. Samantha, who turned 22-years-old while Bentley was missing got her birthday wish to have him back when he was spotted near the site of the accident high up on the hill.

Bentley reunites with his owner 19 days after the tragic accident

On her Bring Bentley Home page, Samantha wrote that he was finally reunited with her on August 26. She went there and with a lot of patience, managed to coax him closer to her. However, he was very afraid and walked away again. Finally, though, he came to her.

She posted up the moment, saying "Eventually I decided to give him some space, back off for a few minutes, and that got his attention. When I came back, him and [I] slowly [started] walking a few steps." Then, finally, "I was able to convince him to come into my arms. And from then it was nothing but tears and celebration!"

It seems that the dog who survived for 19 days in the wilderness struggled a bit after the days of the fatal accident as he seemed to be a bit "malnourished" and had lost some weight. But he has no other apparent injuries. Samantha believes that her late mom and God watched over her beloved pet in the wilderness. On August 27, photos were posted up showing a giant banner on the garage door at their home that said "Welcome Home Bentley."
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