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Missing dog found: following car crash, he followed his owner to the hospital

Groat the dog followed his owner to the hospital (Supplied photo)

Last Thursday, a drunk driver drove his car into the side of a northern Idaho home.

The homeowner, Jeffrey Groat, was found trapped under the vehicle. A visiting friend and her 10-year-old daughter were also seriously injured.

After the crash, the Coeur d'Alene Press reported that Groat's dog, a black teacup Great Dane named Burke, was missing.

"He (Groat) loves that dog," Groat's friend, Brandi Bieber, told the paper. "They obviously have a lot on their plate to deal with right now so friends are just trying to rally around and find the dog."

Fortunately, a reader recognized the dog from the photo in the paper and was able to help reunite the pet with his owner.

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Burke had followed his owner to the hospital.

The reader had spotted the dog limping near Kooenai Health, the hospital where Groat was taken to be treated for his injuries, on the night of the accident and brought the dog home with him. When he read Groat's story, he immediately contacted the number listed in the paper.

"He's (Burke) been hanging out in the guy's living room," said Bieber. "They picked him up Thursday night near the emergency room. We think maybe the dog followed the ambulance and sounds of the sirens."

Bieber picked up the dog and arranged a surprise reunion for Groat.

"We kept it all very hush, hush," Bieber told the Coeur d'Alene Press. "A nurse told Jeff she was taking him outside to get some fresh air."

Bieber said that Burke was so excited to see Groat again that he had to be restrained from jumping on Groat's hospital bed.

"It was a big, big stress for him," Bieber said. "The family is relieved. He is relieved."

Groat, who suffered a cut on his legs and cracked ribs in the accident, was released from hospital on Sunday.

The drunk driver was arrested for aggravated driving under the influence and felony leaving the scene of an injury accident.

The damaged home has been condemned.