During Hurricane Milton, a Florida woman faced a heart-stopping moment when her dog went missing. Taylor Downs, originally from Colorado, now calls Central Florida home with her husband and their spirited pup, Denver.
Denver, a wheaten terrier known for his love of adventure and people, has been part of their family since February 2023. “He’s just a joyful little guy,” Downs shared, mentioning Denver’s particular fondness for Starbucks pup cups.
As Hurricane Milton approached, Downs and her husband hunkered down, aware of the storm’s intensity. “My husband needed to be ready to assist with roofing repairs post-hurricane,” she said, highlighting the severity of the situation.
The couple lived directly in the hurricane’s path and experienced power outages as Milton passed overhead. They were prepared for Denver’s needs, confident that his fearless nature meant he wouldn’t mind a trip outside, even during a storm.
However, at around 12:30 a.m., while the eye of the storm passed overhead, Denver needed to relieve himself. After checking the yard, her husband realized the fence had been compromised by a fallen tree, allowing Denver to escape.
Downs immediately sensed trouble when she heard her husband calling for Denver. “We grabbed flashlights and took off around the neighborhood, shouting for him,” she recalled, battling the darkness and chaos that surrounded them.
Understanding the urgency, Downs reached out to her mom and friends for prayers. As they searched, neighbors joined, turning the frantic search into a community effort. “Though I was terrified, I kept calm because I didn’t want to make things worse,” she explained.
After 40 nerve-wracking minutes, they spotted Denver several blocks away. “It was such a relief when he ran towards us. It felt miraculous,” Downs said. Just as they returned home, the storm winds picked up again, underscoring how close they had come to losing him.
Fortunately, their home suffered minimal damage besides a broken fence and three days without power. “We are so grateful to have found our puppy,” Downs reflected. “He’ll definitely be on a leash if we ever go out during a hurricane again!”