A Douglas County dog is credited with alerting her owner to a crash and helping to save a 16-year-old boy.
Gracie the Dalmatian was just an 8-week-old pup when Jennifer Joie Webster first brought her home. That was more than 12 years ago now.
Webster has lived in Pleasant Grove since 2009, and the stretch of road next to the home sees a lot of wrecks, she said. North 800 Road meets East 1250 Road at a bend, and a lot of folks drive too fast through it.
“There have been a lot of people killed out here on this curve and further down. Everybody who lives here knows that,” she said.
The recent crash occurred just after 11 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15 in the 800 block of East 1250 Road. That’s a little more than 2 miles southwest of Wells Overlook Park — and right by Webster’s home.
The boy, from rural Overbrook, was northbound on East 1250 Road in a Chevrolet Tahoe. He lost control of the vehicle because of inclement weather, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office — “misty rain,” Webster described.
“The vehicle left the roadway and then a field driveway before striking three trees and coming to rest on its roof,” George Diepenbrock, a spokesperson for DGSO, said via email.
Webster said she heard a strange noise outside and looked but didn’t see anything. It was pitch black.
She might have just gone back inside, if not for Gracie, who sat silent on the porch, pointing.
“She was so still and adamant and frozen, not even looking at me,” Webster said. “She was so focused on what was across the street. And it took me a few days to realize why that was: She could smell (the truck).”
So Webster set out into the dark night, crossed the street and found the truck.
“It’s upside down and the kid’s inside, and it’s smoking in the back and I’m just — it was just so stressful,” Webster said. “… So of course I’m calling it in, and I’m talking to the kid — didn’t know who it was, didn’t know it was a kid.”
First responders extricated the boy from the truck and he was taken to Overland Park Regional Medical Center with injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening, Diepenbrock said.
“They got here so fast. That’s why I wrote to them and thanked them, because they got here so fast — because it was terrifying,” Webster said. “… I’m glad I looked at my dog and read her and went across and found the kid.”
She was also grateful the boy had been wearing his seat belt, she said. “He could have been in the back of the car, thrown out of it. He would have been thrown out and killed. So he’s a lucky kid.”
The day after the crash, the boy’s parents stopped by the scene and Webster was able to speak with them, she said.
“That gave me some closure just to be able to talk with them and tell them, ‘I’m so sorry, I’m so glad I found him … but I really have to give credit to my puppy,’” she said.
Deputies met with the teen’s family about three days after the crash, Diepenbrock said, and he was home and doing well. The boy’s family did not wish to be interviewed for this article, according to Diepenbrock.
Deputies on Wednesday delivered Gracie a prize for her good deed — “the largest dog bone we could find,” plus some treats, Diepenbrock said.
“She is diggin’ those,” Webster said.
Gracie has had some rally training, but never trained to be a hunting dog. She’s pointed at things that interested her since she was a puppy, though, Webster said — birds, for instance.
The night of the crash was odd because it was so dark and Gracie could only have smelled the vehicle, Webster said.
Gracie — a liver Dalmatian with brown spots — is getting older. Her eyesight, hearing and back legs aren’t quite what they used to be.
“I really get emotional about that,” Webster said. “… She kind of became a therapy dog for me after I had a head injury and never left my side for two weeks. She’s very loyal.”
But she still has high energy and wants to run all the time, Webster said, even though she can’t run well anymore.
She’s also very smart, Webster said. Gracie learned the spelling of words such as “W-A-L-K,” so now they’re on to sign language. “We have to be careful not to let her see, because she’ll learn it.”
Webster’s advice to dog owners: Know your dog and learn about their breed. She said her bond with Gracie and her belief that Gracie was pointing for a good reason was what helped her find the boy in the crash.
“If you have a good understanding of the breed and what you have, then I think you have a much better life together,” she said.
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Mackenzie Clark (she/her), reporter/founder of The Lawrence Times, can be reached at mclark@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
Molly Adams (she/her), photojournalist and news operations coordinator for The Lawrence Times, can be reached at molly@lawrencekstimes.com. Check out more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
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