One month ago, on August 7, 2018, Samantha Orr’s life flipped upside-down.
The 21-year-old college student had been driving with her mother, Jennifer Orr, just outside of Buena Vista, Colorado. They were on their way back to Kansas after an annual family trip.
Samantha and her mother were on the edge of a mountain road, just west of Pueblo, when Jennifer noticed a large rock in the middle of the road. When she swerved to try and avoid it, their 2004 Jeep Wrangler slid off the edge, plunging 600 feet. In an interview with KOAA, Samantha said:
“We were just driving along having a conversation and the next thing we knew we were going over the edge.”
Samantha’s one-year-old dog Bentley was thrown from the vehicle as it tumbled down the mountain.
Her mother was pronounced dead on the scene while Samantha was airlifted to a hospital with serious injuries.
Family members told Samantha they had seen Bentley running towards the hill after the crash. They created a Facebook page called “Bring Bentley Home” and posted missing dog ads on websites like Craigslist.
Shortly after being released from the hospital, Samantha returned to Colorado to try and find her dog.
After the first few days of searching without any sign of Bentley, the woman started to lose hope.
“Some people, including myself, questioned whether he would have survived the accident,” she revealed.
“But I feel there’s more and more evidence that he did.”
A few days later, on August 23, Samantha read a Facebook post that reignited her belief that Bentley was still out there. A stranger named Joseph Strattman posted to Facebook, claiming he had seen the dog roaming the mountains. He had been looking for Bentley after seeing one of Samantha’s missing dog ads and had been leaving food for the pup too.
“I honestly can’t believe the outpouring of support from complete strangers,” Samantha said.
On August 25, Samantha met with Joseph Strattman and the pair headed to the mountains for another session of searching. “From that moment, there was no turning back,” she shared in a Facebook post. “Joe was my living guardian angel Saturday. He safely led me up the mountain, kept me calm and positive, everything I needed in that moment.”
After searching through the mountains, Samantha and Joe finally spotted Bentley.
The dog’s fur was matted, and he looked like he’d lost weight, but still, Samantha was overjoyed when she spotted his familiar face. The woman immediately started to call out to him.
“Bentley! It’s Mama!”
At first, the traumatized Goldendoodle is hesitant. But what follows is a tear-jerking reaction that has been viewed over 840,000 times.
In total, Bentley had been wandering the Colorado Mountains for 19 days.
He was dehydrated and malnourished but had not sustained any substantial injuries. Since finding Bentley, Samantha has posted updates on the “Bring Bentley Home” Facebook page:
“Bentley is settling back in as if he never left! He’s as goofy, fun, and as sweet as ever. The resilience of dogs will never fail to impress me. … A true miracle.”
See their emotional reunion below!
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