SABIN, Minn. - Mark Michaels got the reunion he wanted.
After an accident Sunday, the Burnsville, Minn., man was without his hunting dog, a Vizsla named Huck.
This afternoon he was reunited with Huck southeast of Moorhead after a family found the dog at their home.
The call prompted Michaels to drive from Minot, N.D., to the rural Moorhead home.
Here's the back story:
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A Burnsville, Minn., man says he's "on cloud nine" now that his hunting dog has been found alive after it ran off following an accident around midnight Sunday on Interstate 94 in Clay County.
The dog was found this morning at the Mark and Sherri Sanderson residence at 8413 120th St. S., southeast of Moorhead and about half a mile from where the dog went missing.
Owner Mark Michaels, who was in Minot, N.D., is expected to arrive at the Sandersons' farm early this afternoon to reunite with his dog, Huck, a Vizsla.
Michaels said he received a phone call from a dispatcher about 7 a.m. telling him a dog matching Huck's description had been found. He was given the Sandersons' number and called them.
Michaels said it's a "big relief" to know the dog is safe.
"I'm on cloud nine," he said.
Sherri Sanderson said her husband had walked their two collies this morning when it was still dark outside. He was getting ready to leave for work when he looked out the garage door and spotted Huck about 10 feet away in the driveway, staring at him, she said.
"He was barking a little bit, and since we've got lots of dog food, I got him a little bowl of dog food and he came right in," she said. "And he was more than willing to come in."
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Michaels and Huck were on their way to western North Dakota on Sunday night when Michaels swerved to avoid a deer and rolled his SUV on I-94 near mile marker 14.
Michaels said Huck, who was in the back seat, initially jumped into his lap, but got spooked by the blood rushing out of Michaels' head from glass fragments that hit him when his window shattered.
"He jumped out of the truck and looked back at me and just bolted," he said.
Michaels received stitches for his injuries. Huck has a few scrapes but otherwise doesn't appear to be injured, Sherri Sanderson said.
"He's out on a leash and doing fine, wagging his tail, pretty happy," she said at about 11 a.m.
Michaels has owned 2-year-old Huck since the Vizsla, a Hungarian pointer-retriever breed, was a pup.
"He's like a Velcro dog. He's a house dog. He's not a kennel dog. He's a very loving dog, and he hunts. He loves to hunt. He's born to hunt," said Michaels, who called his dog's recovery, "great, great news."
