Woman and her dog missing after mudflows slam parts of San Bernardino County
SANDERS — A dog named Nana has been taken from his home Tuesday afternoon after heavy rains crashed down on the mountain community. Nana, an 11-year-old golden retriever, is safe but is missing, according to Animal Services.
“Nana is about 6,000 lbs. and my mom and dad always worked around him so he has a big heart and would never leave Nana,” said Nana’s owner, Mary Lou Johnson.
Johnson said they were out of the home when their small window was blown out by the flow of water. Nana was found in a field but his body had been washed away.
“He’s safe, we’re just very, very worried about him right now,” Johnson said. “I’m not at all surprised that the river came through here. We’ve had a lot of rain recently. We’ve been having all our problems with the rain.”
Mary Lou Johnson said she has been looking for her dog since the last time she saw him at 11:30 Wednesday evening. She said she has only seen him once since.
“I haven’t seen him since his window got knocked out by the water,” Johnson said. “I’m pretty sure I can find him.”
Johnson said the dog is not used to the water.
“He gets in there but it’s not comfortable,” Johnson said. “I’m just really, really worried now.”
Animal Services said they will be helping with the recovery effort. Anyone with information on the dog’s whereabouts are urged to call the animal services line at 909-896-8100.
Johnson said she is hoping for an update on the dog’s recovery.
“I miss Nana very much,” Johnson said. “We’re going to be looking for him to come back.”
Dogs are often taken in San Bernardino County, but it is rare to see dogs getting washed away in a mudflow.
San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Sgt. Ray Batten said dogs shouldn’t get stuck in the mud and the river.
“A dog can easily be carried away,” he said.
Batten said that usually a person is the one responsible for leading a dog out of the water for safety.
“I wouldn’t worry about the dog,” Batten said about Nana. “I would