FLETCHER, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Thousands of people breathed a sigh of relief this week after Monchu, a local dog swept downriver by swift floodwaters, was rescued after going missing for over 24 hours. The lost pup went viral on social media, where some posts received over 10,000 reactions.
No two people were more relieved, however, than Sam Haney and Kristen Honeycutt.
Dogs in the water
Haney, a local woodworker and Monchu’s owner, was on a walk with Honeycutt and her three dogs, Ava, Vada and Diesel, around 5:20 p.m. the evening of Tuesday, May 26, when Monchu went in the water.
“It started out as a really great day,” Honeycutt recalled.
“It started out amazing,” Haney said. “We were actually introducing her three dogs to Monchu. That went perfect. And then we decided to go check out the stream.”
After playing with the dogs in a fenced-in area, the quintet headed on a nearby wooded path to access one of Honeycutt’s favorite swim spots along Cane Creek in Fletcher, N.C.
“My dogs are really familiar with the area. So, they were walking a little bit in front of us, and they got excited because they know that the water is coming up, and before we can even make it over the hill to see the water levels, they were all already in the water,” Honeycutt said. “The water levels were higher than I’ve ever seen them. Like, I’ve been to that place after heavy rain before, and it’s been high, but I’ve never seen it like it was. And before we could even think and process this is what is happening, my dog, Ava, was already getting swept by the current.”
Without hesitation, Honeycutt dropped her phone, pulled off her boots, and jumped in after her dog. Within seconds, Honeycutt said she was swept between 60 and 80 feet downstream, with Monchu and Vada following in the water behind her.
“At that point, I was just, like, mind racing. I don’t really know what to do in that situation, and I just started calling for Kristen, so hopefully she can hear me over the water,” Haney said.
“ But I couldn’t hear it or see him,” Honeycutt added.
After situating Diesel on the riverbank, Haney attempted to push through the brush and follow.
“Then, I just jumped into the thicket and started going the direction it was along the bank, and it was so overgrown that it was thorns, poison ivy, briars, all that stuff,” Haney said. “Having to navigate up over stuff, underneath and finally able to hear Kristen.”
Meanwhile, Kristen was wrestling with keeping two dogs above water.
“I look around and realize there’s nowhere to get out. Like, it’s just bank, and there’s nothing to even hold onto, and it’s really steep, because the water is so high,” Honeycutt said. “I also have an 85-pound dog in my arms, and then I am not having a good time either. And then, I see Monchu, and I’m like, oh my god, how am I gonna do this? Because he’s a big boy.”
Honeycutt said that while she kept herself and Ava afloat, she tried to grab Monchu’s collar and pull herself and the dogs over to a protruding log.
“I’m trying to get them over the log, so we can get to the bank, and Ava was getting stuck. It was just a mess. She was freaking out, yelping, scratching me, and Monchu was breaking out,” Honeycutt said. “But, I made it to the edge, finally, and I’m holding onto roots, trying to push, pull myself and push her up the bank, and there’s nothing to hold onto. Monchu was right there with us, and there’s nowhere to go. There’s no opening at all. It’s just thick, green thorns, briars.”
While Honeycutt was struggling with getting the dogs onto the bank, she looked back up the river, and saw her 12-year-old lab, Vada, paddling down toward her.
“I was like, I’m about to lose all three of these dogs right now,” Honeycutt said.
Fortunately, at that moment, Haney caught up on the bank.
“I finally was able to get to her. She’s shoving Ava through just the tiniest little tunnel that she was able to open up. We were able to get Ava through, and I was yelling at Monchu to, stay, hopefully,” Haney said.
“Monchu thought I was hurting her, I think, and I think it freaked him out, because he didn’t want to follow,” Honeycutt said.
“I saw him look over Kristen’s shoulder, and then as I’m getting Ava through the brush, I look up and he’s vanished,” Haney said. “The only thing we could think of is he just jumped right back in to try to find another way out.”
Mission: Monchu
Before chasing after Monchu, Haney and Honeycutt rushed to bring the other three dogs back to the fenced-in field. Somehow, the duo realized, Vada had pulled herself out of the water, and happily ran back to the fence with Diesel and Ava.
“Then we run back down the trail, still barefoot, and I’m like, we have to go back to where I got out of the water,” Honeycutt said. “Monchu’s not there. We can’t see him, and so, we try to push our way a little bit further through the thicket, and we had nothing but us. We’re both bleeding.”
“We’re just like, how could an animal get through any of this? Like, there’s no way,” Haney remembered.
The two decided to split up. Honeycutt ran back to the fence to dial 911, while Haney raced to a nearby railroad bridge spanning the river. With no luck, Haney reunited with Honeycutt at the park, where seven to eight firefighters, police officers and first responders had gathered. It was around 5:50 p.m.
“I think there was some miscommunication. They were like, oh, so there’s nobody still in the water? I was like, our dog,” Honeycutt said. “Once they realized that, they’re like, well, we can’t send somebody into floodwaters over a dog, and so they went downstream and looked for like 30 minutes, or something like that, and then, basically, they were like, we don’t think the dog’s still in the water.”
Left to search for themselves, Honeycutt and Haney packed the other three dogs in the car and began to search nearby shallow spots along the river. The most likely spot for Monchu to escape the water, they thought, was Bill Moore Community Park along Cane Creek Greenway.
With the help of their moms, who quickly arrived at the scene, the dog owners searched for Monchu well past dark. Their moms jumped into action, bringing bushwhacking tools and spreading the word on Facebook. After hunting until around 1 a.m., the crew decided to regroup, even if rest was off the menu.
“We stopped driving around 1, 1:30, and had to call it,” Haney said. “Our bodies just didn’t have anything.”
“We slept for maybe an hour,” Honeycutt said.
The next morning, Honeycutt made contact with EPIC Animal Recovery, who advised making flyers, then hanging and handing them out wherever possible. Starting from the Fletcher park around 9 a.m., Haney and Honeycutt did just that.
At the same time, the story was taking off on Facebook.
“So many people were messaging and reaching out, wanting to help,” Honeycutt said. “It was a little overwhelming trying to respond and keep up with all of it, and also take the tips people were giving us, if they had seen any loose dogs.”
Not all of the tips panned out. One commenter reported a sighting of a white dog with an orange collar walking up Hutch Mountain Road, over two miles away from the park. Honeycutt and Haney moved their operation to the area, using a friend’s drone to scan the ground below, but no luck. Monchu was nowhere to be seen.
Bree to the rescue
One of the responses Haney and Honeycutt received was from Bree Day-Bottai, a drone pilot who offered her services free of charge.
“She texted me and said, I’m working, but she was like, I want to help, I saw the posts, I’m so sorry,” Honeycutt said. “She’s like, I know there’s a lot of scams out there, and I just want you to know, I’m not asking for a penny from you guys. I just want to help.”
After Day-Bottai got off work around 7 p.m. that evening, Wednesday, May 27, she met Haney and Honeycutt back at the spot where Monchu first went missing.
“She launched it, and within five minutes, we were all just sitting there talking, you know, coping, and she said, I think I got him,” Honeycutt said.
“I was about to run and jump onto the picnic table, but I didn’t, because it would have been slick. I didn’t need to eat it that hard,” Haney chuckled.
“We all run over and look, and it was this white dog, going around in circles, because he could hear the drone,” Honeycutt said.
“ As soon as I saw the little blob do a loop, I was like, that’s him, 1000%,” Haney said.
It was Monchu. He was stranded in a small cove between 100 and 120 feet from where the dogs first jumped in. A log protected him from the river, while briars on the bank kept him in the spot. It was 27 hours after he went into the river.
“It didn’t even look like he missed a meal,” Haney said.
“We had treats with us and he just wanted the treats. He was so excited to see us,” Honeycutt smiled.
“He did look a little loopy, that’s for sure. Look at this picture. Look at his face. He needed some combobulation,” Haney laughed.
Reunited
Honeycutt and Haney said that they were amazed by the community response to their dilemma.
“I mean, filled with the most gratitude I’ve ever felt. I couldn’t believe how the community came together to help find him, and it was amazing, just walking around trying to give people flyers, and they were like, oh, no, I already have it on my phone,” Haney said. “It was 90% of the people that you would see, and they were either out there already looking, or had seen it, shared it. I’m running into old neighbors that are out there just looking for him, because. There’s people that I hadn’t heard from in three years that are like, hey, I’m out driving around. Let me know where to which area to search.”
The moment the two were reunited with Monchu was a triumph for everyone present.
“I mean, it was a very emotional moment for all of us. We were all crying and hugging one another,” Honeycutt said.
“Instant family,” Haney said. “The best way I could put it. Instantly, anyone that was in that field when he was found is, like… we’re all best friends no matter what.”
Those who were not present for the rescue but followed Monchu’s story will still have an opportunity to celebrate. Haney and Honeycutt said that a follower on Facebook has scheduled a party for Monchu at a nearby soccer field. More details are to come.
As for Monchu’s recovery? As his owners told the story, he sat beneath the picnic table, tail wagging and face smiling, happy to be home safe.
