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Border Collie Found Herding Sheep Days After Going Missing In A Car Accident

Written by: Scott H
Scott Haiduc is the Director of Publishing for iHeartDogs, iHeartCats and The Hero Company. When not working, Scott spends his time on the farm, taking care of his animals and crops.Read more
| Published on June 11, 2021

Tilly the Border Collie is back home safe and sound. The pup went missing after a car accident and was found herding sheep on a nearby farm days later. 

Tilly was riding in the car with his parents on June 7 when they got into a car accident at an intersection in Idaho. The pooch was ejected from the vehicle and ran from the scene. 

Luckily, no one was injured in the crash, but the couple was heartbroken that they could not find their beloved dog. The Idaho State Police responded to the accident and put out a plea for locals to keep an eye out for Tilly.

Image: Linda Oswald/ Facebook

“ISP is asking anyone in the area of SH 41 and Hayden Avenue to be on the lookout for a dog who was ejected from the rear of the GMC as a result of the collision. The dog is a 2- year-old Border Collie Heeler mix that goes by the name ‘Tilly.'” the police wrote in their release. “Tilly has no tail, a dark-colored face, weighs approximately 70 pounds, and was wearing a multi-colored plaid and tan-colored collar with a name tag containing the owner’s contact information. Tilly was last seen running northwest from the crash scene through the field and has not yet been located as of the time of this release. Tilly’s family is from Hayden and is doing all they can to find the dog.”

After several days of searching, Tilly reunited with his family thanks to a Facebook post. Animal lovers shared it over 3,000 times, leading the lost dog back to his people. 

On Tuesday, siblings Tyler and Travis Potter noticed something strange about their Australian Shepherd, Hooey, while watching the dog on their family farm, according to The Spokesman-Review. Hooey looked different, and upon closer inspection, Tyler and Travis realized that the dog out there wasn’t Hooey at all. It was Tilly who managed to find his way to the Potter Farm, 1.5 miles from the crash site.

Image: Linda Oswald/ Facebook

Shortly after Tilly’s departure, the Potters realized that the dog had been doing a bit of work on the family farm. They found all of their sheep out of the pasture the next morning. 

“I think that dog was trying to herd,” Travis Potter told The Spokesman-Review.

Image: Linda Oswald/ Facebook

Tilly’s owner, Linda Oswald, told the outlet that is typical of the canine’s behavior.

“He’ll herd anything,” Oswald said. “When I go to the dog park, he tries to herd the people into one group.”

Luckily, Tilly was unharmed during the ordeal and is now back at home with his family. While they were worried sick about him, there’s no doubt that the dog must have had a little fun on his adventure with the sheep.

H/T: KHQ News
Featured Image: Linda Oswald/ Facebook

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