ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A dog that escaped during a serious rollover crash has been reunited with its owner after a community search that lasted more than four days.
Sable disappeared after escaping from the vehicle during the crash. Her owner, Piper Melton, was pregnant and recovering from the accident, leaving friends, volunteers, and a local Pinellas County podcaster to help bring her home.
A lost-pet alert also listed Sable as missing on Aug. 5, and people shared Sable’s photo online, watched for sightings, and searched neighborhoods throughout the area.
Four days and six hours later, she was back home with her owner.
A Search That Spread Across St. Pete
As word of Sable’s disappearance traveled, the search grew beyond Melton’s immediate circle.
Sable is a 2-year-old black Belgian shepherd. At the time she went missing, she was wearing a red bandana, a turquoise e-collar, and a silver lead chain.
Melton described Sable as skittish around people, especially concerning after the stress of the crash. Her last reported sighting was around 8:15 a.m., when she was seen crossing 4th Street toward the Riviera Bay area.
Those details gave searchers something more specific to watch for as Sable remained missing. Efforts to locate her included flyers and signs, along with drone animal rescue searchers and plans to use billboards to get her photo in front of more people.
Sable Comes Home
After more than four days missing, Sable was safely reunited with Melton. She thanked the St. Pete community, who kept sharing Sable’s photo, searching neighborhoods, and watching for sightings while Melton recovered.
Four days and six hours is a long time when someone you love is missing. In St. Pete, it was also enough time for an entire community to show up. Sable is home, and this one gets a happy ending.