By Britney Milazzo
A rare Catahoula leopard dog named Buddy that was rescued from Hurricane Katrina is missing after fleeing from the scene of a one-car crash Wednesday morning in Hartland.
The dog’s owner, Gary Gaiser of Corfu, is recovering from a broken ankle and fractured ribs at Erie County Medical Center.
Oddly enough, Buddy’s escape took place right in front of Fort Hyde Kennels.
Gaiser, 66, was heading west on Ridge Road when his vehicle veered off the shoulder, striking a utility pole, rolling over several times and plowing through a rock garden, Niagara County Sheriff’s deputies said,
“After the car flipped over and came to a stop, the dog escaped from the scene,” said kennel owner Elly Hyde. “And no one has seen him since.”
Gaiser, reached at ECMC where he continues to recover, works for Blum Builders and had a project in Cambria, he said.
“Buddy was always by my side,” Gaiser said of his 3-year-old, black-and-brown pooch.
Hyde said he would take his dog every day with him to work.
Gaiser’s wife and daughter spent several hours Wednesday night looking around the area for Buddy, but have yet to find him.
“They put some of Gary’s clothes around the scene to see if the dog would recognize the scent,” Hyde said, adding that Gaiser’s wife said he was more upset about his missing dog than he was about his broken bones,.
Hyde said she has put up several signs and pictures of the missing dog, but no luck yet.
“We think the dog is very scared,” Hyde said. “These kind of dogs are not used to the cold weather and could be anywhere trying to survive.”
Hyde said Catahoulas come only from Louisiana, so she thought it was strange there was a Catahoula here in Western New York — that is, until she learned that Buddy was rescued by the Gaiser family after Hurricane Katrina. The dog was just 6 months old at the time.
Despite suffering broken bones, himself, Gaiser said his dog is all he can think about.
“More than anything, I just want to find my dog.”
Buddy was wearing a red leash the day of the accident. Anyone with information is asked to call Fort Hyde Kennels at 772-2356.
