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Dog lost in Utah, puppies donated in Vail Valley

Melanie Wong
mwong@vaildaily.com
Eagle County, CO Colorado
Eagle Valley Humane Society | Special to the DailyCorey Anne and Jason Luman found six pups along the highway in Utah, minutes after their longtime dog had passed away. Three of the puppies were donated to the Eagle Valley Humane Society.
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EAGLE COUNTY ” When Arizona couple Jason and Corey Anne Luman left their home for a road trip, they weren’t expecting to lose their beloved dog, then save a litter of abandoned pups ” all before they hit the Colorado border.

The couple were headed to Fort Collins to visit family along with their 12-year-old Australian shepherd Jake, who had been part of the family for years. The dog, who had diabetes, had been having trouble all morning and went rapidly downhill as the family got on the road, Jason Luman said.

“We were about 20 to 30 miles south of Bluffs, Utah, and we got out because Jake wasn’t doing well,” he said. “He passed away right there with my wife and I there.”



Already halfway to their destination, they decided to continue driving, despite being shaken and heartbroken. About 20 minutes later, Corey Anne Luman pulled over to the side of the road, too emotional to drive.

“We pulled off to the side of Highway 191. It wasn’t a pull-off or anything, it happened to be the only place we could find cell service,” he said. “I was stretching and noticed some whimpering. Then I saw two puppies were headed toward the freeway, and four others were huddled in a bush.”

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The dogs, only a couple weeks old, couldn’t have been out there for more than an hour or two, Jason Luman estimated.

“It was in the middle of the Utah desert, and I stood there and slowly spun around,” he said. “There was nobody two miles out and no traffic. It was 8 a.m. on a Thursday.”

They picked up the litter of puppies, planning to drop them off at the next Humane Society. That brought them to Eagle a few hours later, where an Edwards veterinarian deemed the puppies healthy, and the Lumans, after talking with Char Quinn of the Eagle Valley Humane Society, decided to take three of the puppies.

They particularly had their eye on one of the females of the litter, the only one that didn’t have light fur. The puppy, which they named Jacklyn, was black with tan paws ” just like Jake. The Lumans also took two of the other puppies, one for Jason Luman’s parents and another for a family friend.

“It’s an amazing story,” said Quinn, adding that the puppies would not have lasted very long on the side of the road by themselves. “They weren’t weaned and two were headed toward the roads. Without shade, they could have gotten really hot and dehydrated. I don’t think they would have lived to the next day. Wild animals would have found them pretty quickly.”

The Lumans said their three dogs have been growing quickly and putting on weight. The three remaining in Eagle County are also doing well and will be ready for adoption in a month. For more information, call 970-328-PETS.

Staff Writer Melanie Wong can be reached at 970-748-2928 or mwong@vaildaily.com.


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