Boy reunites with dog after losing him in wreck

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Damien Ortiz is only six years old, but his generosity in the time of trouble has captivated this area.

While Damien was helping the victims of Thursday's massive pile-up on Interstate 10 near Beaumont, he lost his puppy in the chaos. But now, Damien and his dog, Bo, are back together again.

Wrecker driver Blake Jones found Bo, who had a collar on, but no name tag. Jones scooped Bo up and took him home, sending his girlfriend a picture of the pup.

"I hope somebody wants him, because if they don't, I'm gonna end up keeping him and I got enough as it is," said Jones.

Seeing the intensity of news coverage of the accident, Jones' girlfriend posted the picture on social media websites for Eyewitness News and a television station from Beaumont, hoping to find the dog's owner. Word of a little boy's missing dog had already been broadcast across the region and country.

"Within five minutes," said Jesi Courville, who helped find Bo's owner. "It was instantaneous."

Damien and his mother were among those injured in the wreck. They were headed from Dickinson to Louisiana to surprise her boyfriend with a turkey dinner. It was Damien who convinced his mother to take that turkey and make sandwiches for accident victims, even though his new puppy was missing.

"We lost Bo on Thanksgiving," Damien recalled.

Bo was thrown from their SUV during the impact.

"My son was worried," said Naby Lopez, Damien's mother.

They looked, but couldn't find him anywhere. After more than 24 hours apart, the dog and his family were reunited.

We were there the moment Damien got to hold little Bo. You could see this was a dog who missed his owner. The pair was tired, worse for wear, but safe and ready to go home.

Little Damian was short on words. His mother says he was exhausted from the stress of the wreck and the trip. Jones says the dog slept with him Thursday night. He feels a bond with the pup and hopes to see him again sometime.

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