BEAUMONT — A Port Acres family is celebrating the return of their dog more than a month after she disappeared when she and her owner were involved in a rollover wreck along Interstate 10 at Smith Road.
"Daisy," a 4-year-old Lab-mix was riding in the front cab of a pick-up truck driven by her owner, John Bourgeois II , 30, of Port Acres when the crash happened on Sunday afternoon, March 5, 2018.
Deputy Don Metts, who is the livestock deputy for the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, used a Vienna Sausage to lure "Daisy" to his truck Thursday morning when he recovered her.
"Daisy" was found along Kidd Road off Smith Road not far from where the wreck happened in early March.
She had shown up at a home on Kidd Road recently and the homeowner began feeding her according to Deputy Metts.
Recently the resident mentioned the dog when he was at Love's Truck stop at Smith Road and Interstate 10 near where the wreck happened Metts said.
A clerk at the truck stop told him about "Daisy" and the wreck and he contacted the sheriff's office.
12News shared "Daisy's" story on Facebook in March and it was shared more than 1,900 times.
Bourgeois' step-father, Smith, told 12News at the time he was touched by how many people contacted him to try and help find "Daisy.".
“The people that are doing this... is just wow,” he said.
Metts told 12News dogs lost in that area for that long are often ever found and said that once he got "Daisy" into a kennel on his truck she lay down and began shivering.
After recovering "Daisy" then made arrangements to meet Bourgeois II's father at the fire station on Walden Road to return the dog who was dirty and underweight.
When John Bourgeois, Sr, approached "Daisy" in the kennel on Metts' truck her tail wouldn't stop wagging and she completely ignored the deputy who been recently feeding her sausages according to Metts.
Because of her condition Bourgeois, Sr., was a little worried that they may not have the right dog but Metts pointed out specific markings on her face and compared them to photos and assured him they had found "Daisy."
Metts told 12News he credits being able to identify the dog with what he learned about identifying lost pets while working with other animal specialists who came to the area after Tropical Storm Harvey.
Bourgeois Sr., planned to get "Daisy" checked out and cleaned up before presenting her to his son.
Carol Toups spoke to 12News and happily confirmed "Daisy" had been found but said that the family was planing a private reunion.
Bourgeois II was released from the hospital the night of the wreck but, Daisy, who was last seen running west along the interstate was nowhere to be found.
He's been recovering since the wreck but has been desperate to see his dog again his mom, Carol Toups, told 12News after the wreck.
Bourgeois' mom and his step-father, Hadrian Smith spent hours looking for Daisy the day after the wreck but had no luck finding the wayward pooch.
Toups, who described "Daisy" as a member of the family, left food on the ground on the side of the interstate just in case Daisy came back to the scene of the wreck.
Bourgeois' truck veered off the road but then over-corrected, was struck by a truck tractor semi-trailer then hit the median cable barrier and flipped over.
Bourgeois was pulled out of his truck with the help of firefighters and good Samaritans.
“He has a lot of angels and we are grateful or them,” said Toups.
EDITOR'S NOTE : A previous version of this story reported incorrectly that the dog was riding in the bed of the truck when the wreck happened. She was actually riding inside the cab of the truck. 12News regrets the error which was in an earlier file story and was repeated in this story.