Tragedy and a Triumph: A Lost Pet Returns
Pipe Creek resident Ann Edwards holds Cookie, a five-year-old chihuahua who disappeared following a fatal car accident only to be found and reunited with her family seven weeks later. On the left, Cookie’s twenty-year-old brother, Levi, hangs out on the
On January 1, Bob and Ann Edwards of Pipe Creek, were traveling home from a hunting trip on State Highway 16 when their truck rolled and hit a telephone pole.
The crash, which is still under investigation, was purportedly caused by another vehicle that may have cut into their lane at the merge, causing Bob to suddenly veer his truck. Bob perished from his internal injuries.
Their pet Chihuahuas, Levi, 20 years old, and Cookie, five years old, were also traveling with the couple. Levi was in a pet carrier in the back seat while Cookie was on Ann’s lap.
During the aftermath of the crash, while an EMS worker was holding Cookie, the commotion of the arrival of the other emergency workers startled her and she ran off into the neighboring property. Everyone looked for Cookie, yet she remained at large.
Soon after, family members Gary and Shelly Edwards from Houston, began posting pictures of Cookie on Facebook, calling out to the community for help and to keep a lookout.
The response from the public on the FB feed was tremendous, as hundreds were commenting, sharing and wishing well for Cookie’s return.
Jeff Dowda, a Pipe Creek resident who lives in the vicinity of the crash site, started noticing a dog on his property. He thought it might be his neighbor's new dog. Still, as pet-dumping along Hwy 16 and other county roads is a continuing problem, Jeff felt it could be a stray as well.
Jeff’s brother, Rusty, thought he might know of this elusive dog. Rusty, a regular Facebook user, had been following Cookie’s story online.
After seeing pictures of the dog far off in the tall grass that Jeff had taken, Rusty wondered if this dog could be Cookie, since Jeff’s property was in the general area where she disappeared.
Although the pictures of the dog in the tall grass looked different than the photos of Cookie on FB, Rusty decided to contact the family anyway.
On February 19, Ann’s daughter, Paula Flach, and Ann met with the brothers at Jeff’s property. Ann called for Cookie a few times.
“Before she got out the third Cookie, she came running through the brush like a rhino”, said Rusty.
Ann recalled, “I called Cookie. The more I called her, the faster she came runnin’. When she finally got to me, I could hardly hold her she was jumping so hard.”
Ann and Paula describe Cookie as a feisty dog who can scrap with the best of them. Her dominant personality shows she is not one to be trifled with. Undoubtedly, the character and tenacity of this tiny dog were instrumental in her ability to survive in the wild for a month-and-a-half in the winter.
Conceivably, Cookie’s canine instincts kicked-in as she had to have become ferocious enough in her own rights to fend off coyote, fox, and large birds of prey while still finding shelter, food, and sources of water.
Ann felt that Bob was there with Cookie. “I lost one and gained another.” she said.
After Cookie was picked up, Rusty updated facebook and announced Cookie had been found.
Within an hour-and-a-half, FB blew up with notifications from everyone. The positive rallying for Cookie by the community on social media played a significant role in getting Cookie back to Ann.
The support and love that emanated for the family’s loss was as genuine and purposed as the good folks that come from this area.