This was in our newspaper, and on Facebook, too:
Achilles Barraco > Everything Pets In SCV
November 5 at 7:33am
Three weeks ago my girlfriend and I got into a bad car accident between Yosemite and Lee Vining, CA. Our brakes failed during the final downhill portion of S.R. 120 and we chose to swerve and hit a tree rather than trying to negotiate a tight turn at 60 mph. Immediately after the accident, our dog, Mr. Chilli, jumped out the window and ran down the road. Luckily, a good Samaritan saw the accident and continued on towards town where he would have cell service to call 911. He reported seeing Mr. Chilli running down the middle of the road, seemingly uninjured. A few minutes later, people who had stopped to help us reported seeing a dog running around in the road. That is the last we have heard of Mr. Chilli since the accident. While we were in the hospital in the nearby town of Mammoth Lakes, locals went out searching for Mr. Chilli in the valley below the crash site, albeit with no luck. At this point, we think it is most probable that someone picked him up while traffic was stopped to clear the accident. Police closed the road around a corner, so anyone stopped would not have known there was an accident and may not have associated Mr. Chilli with our accident.
We are still very hopeful that we will find him. We have set out smelly clothes near the crash site and have been posting on craigslist and trying to get news stations to cover his story in hopes that whoever picked him up sees the story and returns him. We are asking anyone who is capable to help in any way they can, whether it be by searching local shelters, searching craigslist, or simply saying a prayer for Mr. Chilli. He has been my companion for seven years now, as I rescued him when he was five weeks old. I would give anything to get him back and I have been able to get $2,000 together as a reward for his safe return. Thank you for reading, and thank you in advance for your help and wishes!
