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SANDY — A Nevada couple has called Utah home for the past month, refusing to leave because of something they lost here. Their dog, Dani, ran away while out on a walk in Sandy.
Gilbert and Arryell Rodriguez said that the reason they have so much hope is because there have been several sightings of their 4-year-old poodle around Salt Lake County — the most recent ones in Daybreak.
"The phone calls and sightings have been (in South Jordan), but we've had some in Sandy, a couple in the Jordan River Parkway, and a couple in Riverton," Arryell Rodriguez said.
Tuesday night, dozens of friends and family members joined for a group search in Daybreak. Though the search turned up nothing, the couple isn't giving up.
"She's just, you know, our best friend," Gilbert Rodriguez said. "And people have been so helpful with the search for her. People in Utah, in general, have just been so supportive and helpful."
They especially want to find Dani because she is now their only "child."
"My husband and I suffered a miscarriage in November, and (Dani) has been by my side every step of the way," Arryell Rodriguez said.
The pregnancy loss required surgery and a long recovery time. It was an experience Dani was there for.
"We need her, and she needs us," Gilbert Rodriguez said.
The two need to get back to work in Nevada next week and are hopeful they will have Dani by then.
"We want to find her before we have to head back." Gilbert Rodriguez said. "We have to! We will."
Dani is a cream-colored poodle that weighs around 60 pounds. if you've seen her, contact the couple on their Bring Dani Home Search Party Facebook page.
UPDATE: On July 28, the Nevada couple who wouldn't leave Utah without their missing dog, got some heartbreaking news:
