Wyoming Sheriff Returns Stuffed Dog To 8-Year-old Lost Along Interstate 80

When the Kay family stopped in Hays, Kansas, after a ski vacation at Alta’s Grand Targhee Resort, they made a heart-wrenching discovery: Dog was gone. 

A small, brown stuffed animal, Dog would be an unassuming toy to most people, but it means a lot to William Kay, 8, who was devastated when his soft buddy disappeared from the family vehicle.

“He helps me fall asleep at night,” William told Cowboy State Daily. “I was sad when he was lost and almost cried when I got him back.”

Bill and Christina Kay, William’s parents, contacted the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office in the seemingly futile hope that Dog could be recovered and returned to him. Sheriff Alex Bakken and Deputy Tyler Christen did just that.

A week later on March 31, Dog was reunited with William at his home in St. Louis, Missouri. It was an emotionally empowering experience for everyone involved — a story of care, compassion and a well-loved stuffed animal. 

“We are just so impressed with the tender, loving care in which they perform their duties,” Christina said of the Carbon County deputies. “It’s a small miracle for us and a great lesson about faith, loss and helpfulness for William.”

‘Our Velveteen Rabbit’

Many children have a stuffed animal they’re particularly attached to, and Dog has been with William from his day one. Christina said the toy was a present she received at her baby shower for William.

“When people don’t know if you’re having a boy or a girl, they give you stuffed animals,” Christina said. “William’s been sleeping with Dog every night for six years.”

The stuffed animal is old and worn in a characteristic way that reflects the love and companionship of a child. When the Kays headed out for their Wyoming vacation, it was essential for Dog to come along.

Everything was fine until the Kays were driving back to St. Louis on March 22. They quickly pulled off Interstate 80 to grab their lunches out of the back seat and continue their journey home.

It was a typical March day with strong winds blasting across the landscape.

“I got out of the car to run around to the back door on the driver's side to get our sandwiches out of the cooler, and William unexpectedly opened the car door,” Bill said. “The door nearly blew off the car. The backseat looked like a bomb went off. That’s when Dog blew out.”

Nobody noticed the stuffed dog was missing until they stopped for the night at Hays, Kansas. William couldn’t find Dog, and a thorough vehicle search revealed nothing.

"William has never been more eager to clean out the car after a trip," Bill said. "We cleaned piece by piece, and there was a real sinking feeling when the car was empty. Any hope that Dog was hidden somewhere was gone." 

Dog Gone

William was distraught over the loss of Dog, as were his parents. They couldn’t replace the stuffed animal, even if they wanted to.

“I didn’t have any backups, and they must have stopped making that dog because I couldn’t find another one,” Christina said. “But even a new one wouldn’t be the same. He’s worn and well-loved. He’s our version of the Velveteen Rabbit.”

Once they were home in St. Louis, the Kays were ready to turn the loss of their son’s beloved toy into a difficult but valuable lesson.

“He was crying himself to sleep, and we were coming to terms with the fact that this was a reality,” Christina said. “Kids have to learn about loss. Some losses are more serious than others, but this was a big one for him. He was devastated.”

Still, they thought there might be a chance Dog and William could be reunited. Bill did some sleuthing, using Google Maps to identify where they had pulled off, and Dog had presumably been blown out of their car.

“That lot was very close to Carbon County, so I went to the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office website and saw Sheriff Alex Bakken’s smiling face,” he said. “I clicked on his email address, started writing, and it continued to snowball from there.”

On The Case

Bill sent his email to Bakken on the evening of March 23. He got a response the next morning.

“I commend you for taking your child’s emotional well-being so seriously,” Bakken wrote. “Nothing would make me happier than seeing if we can help ensure Dog’s safe return to St. Louis. Our Patrol Division has been notified, and I will attempt to search the area later today. Please tell your son that we are on the case.”

Bill told Christina he’d contacted the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office but decided not to tell William. He had resigned himself to the high possibility that Dog would never be found.

“We didn't want to have false hope if something wasn't found,” he said. “We felt that at least we had done something. Regardless of the outcome, we could be happy that we tried. When they took up the offer, I was elated but concerned that it would be futile.”

Bill sent a few images of Dog and a satellite photo of the pullout where they had stopped and where, hopefully, Dog would be recovered. He continued with his usual Monday routine until 5:03 p.m. when he received another message from Bakken.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Kay,” Bakken wrote. “We have some good news!”

Dog Found

“I was down by Baggs when Sheriff Bakken texted me,” said Carbon County Sheriff’s Deputy Tyler Christen. “He said, ‘If you’ve got time, go find this stuffie.’ I didn’t know what he was talking about, so I called him.”

Bakken wasn’t kidding. He had received Bill’s email and wanted to see if Christen could swing by the I-80 pullout where the Kays lost Dog and see if he could recover it.

Christen couldn’t resist the call. He has kids of his own and knows how emotionally attached they are to their stuffed animals.

“When my kids lose their stuffie, panic mode sets in until we find it,” he said. “I wanted to see if we could bring that dog back to its owner. He’s had it for a long time and can still enjoy it.”

Coordinating with Dispatcher Taylor Miller, Christen reached the pullout east of Creston Junction on his way back to Rawlins. He didn’t see any lost stuffed animals in the parking lot, so he started walking along the fence line to see if it had blown into the sagebrush.

“I made it 20 feet, looked over to my right, and saw something brown lying in the grass,” he said. “I walked in that direction and found him lying there, and I was like, ‘Holy Smokes! I think this is the one we’re looking for.’”

He picked up the stuffed animal and brought it to his vehicle for photo verification. Improbably, Dog had been found.

“It probably took me 10 to 15 minutes to find him,” Christen said. “This was the right stuffie. We can get this back to the family, and they can move on with their kid who isn’t down because he lost his stuffed animal in the Wyoming wind.”

The Best Surprises

Bill got an email, text and voicemail from Sheriff Bakken confirming that Dog had been found. It was an emotionally empowering moment for the family.

“When Bill came home and played the voicemail for me, I burst into tears,” Christina said. “I couldn't believe it. It’s a small miracle that Dog was even there.”

That was followed by the joyful moment when they told William that, against the odds, Dog had been found and was coming home.

“I almost cried,” William said. “I was very happy and excited.”

William was reunited with Dog on March 31. The stuffed animal arrived snuggly packed in a Carbon County Sheriff’s Office care package Bakken put together for the family.

“There were deputy bags for kids, some challenge coins, a couple of patches, and a lovely Carbon County Sheriff’s Office water bottle,” Bill said. “Dog was very well packaged inside. It was a great package to receive.”

Bakken also had some fun with Dog’s return. They shared the details of the “successful search and rescue operation” on Facebook, lauding Christen and Miller's coordination for their “arduous ground search” that led to the rescue of the stuffed animal.

Most importantly, Dog was back where he belonged. It was the best night’s sleep William had in the week since he lost one of his more treasured possessions.

Loss And Compassion From Carbon County

The Kay family experienced intense emotions during the saga of Dog’s loss and return. Losing Dog wasn’t “the ultimate lesson of loss” they anticipated for William, but it was a valuable opportunity for the family to discuss an emotion everyone experiences and will struggle with during their lives.

“This was big for him,” Christina said. “We’re a family of faith, and we prayed for Dog and about Dog every night before bed. But sometimes you don’t get happy endings. Sometimes, prayers are answered in different ways. But we still have to have faith, even when things don’t turn out the way we want to.”  

The “compassion and humanity” the Kays received from the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office is something they hope will stay with their son for the rest of his life.

“He learned that there are great people in this world that will do things to help you, even when they don't know you,” Bill said. “I think that was a wonderful lesson for William. As he grows and becomes a big boy, he will know that he owes it to help others.”

The day will come when William no longer needs Dog to get to sleep. Children always grow up and beyond certain hallmarks of their youth, but the stuffed toy will hold a vaunted spot in the Kay Family’s history.

“I had already mentally earmarked Dog as one of the things I would hang onto when the day comes that William doesn’t need him anymore, but we’ll hang onto it,” Christina said. “We’d like to pass it on to him when he has children of his own, as something special from his childhood.”

Christen didn’t see his role in the “rescue” as anything extraordinary. Although the call to find a stuffed animal was a first for him, he believes any other law enforcement officer would respond just as he did.

“We are willing to help anybody through anything,” he said. “We will help anybody in their time of need. I think that’s true for any law enforcement agency.”

Bill reached out to the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office without any expectations, thinking they “must have a million better things to do” than take time out of their day to look for an old, worn-out stuffed animal. For him, it showed how extraordinary Wyoming is to everyone.

“The Carbon County Sheriff’s Office above and beyond the normal call of duty,” Bill said. “Their job is very difficult, dangerous and gut-wrenching. This story is bigger than us. It’s about the tender, loving care of the sheriff's department in Carbon County. Wyoming.”

Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.