A dog named Octane bolted into the dark along 8 Mile Road just before midnight Friday after the SUV he was riding in slammed into the back of a DDOT city bus, and he has not been seen since. The Blue Heeler-Pit Bull mix escaped the vehicle alongside the SUV's passengers but ran east toward John R Street, vanishing under a tunnel as his owners, a Warren couple recovering from the crash themselves, now search the city hoping to bring him home.
The crash happened as the bus was turning into the Meijer Gateway center on 8 Mile Road near Woodward Avenue when an eastbound SUV collided with its rear, according to WXYZ Channel 7. Jayde Germain, one of the owners, said Octane managed to get out of the vehicle along with the passengers after the impact, then took off running. He is believed to be injured, with visible bleeding on his chest, per the station's report.
A Painful Recovery and a Missing Companion
Johnathan Santiago suffered severe injuries in the crash and was discharged from Detroit Receiving Hospital on Monday afternoon, the outlet reported. He told the station that not knowing where his dog is has been stressful, a sentiment that cuts through even as he works through his own recovery. Germain echoed that fear, saying she does not want Octane to be alone or in pain somewhere out in the city.
DDOT said the bus driver and seven passengers were transported to Sinai-Grace Hospital following the crash, and Detroit Police said all eight people involved were listed in stable condition. Detroit Police are still investigating the cause of the collision, and the same report notes it is not yet clear who was at fault.
Where Octane Was Last Seen
Octane was last seen running east on 8 Mile Road toward John R Street near the Meijer Gateway center before disappearing under a nearby tunnel. His owners are asking anyone with information about his whereabouts to contact them directly at (360) 488-7810 or (859) 324-7893.
For Detroit residents who come across a stray animal, Friends of Detroit Animal Care & Control advises owners searching for a lost pet to check the Detroit Animal Care & Control shelter every three days, since lost pets without evidence of ownership are typically held for only four days. That narrow window has mattered before: Detroit Animal Care and Control investigators once located a missing French Bulldog named Leo inside a boarded-up home on the city's east side more than a year after he disappeared, according to a report from the Detroit News. In that case, Leo had a registered microchip and had been flagged as missing, which helped investigators confirm his identity before his owner picked him up from the DACC shelter.
For now, Octane's fate remains unknown, and his owners are relying on the public to help close that gap while they continue recovering from the crash that separated them.
