Carol McAlice Currie

Statesman Journal

There is no silver lining to this story.

On July 18, a 48-year-old off-duty sergeant with the Polk County Sheriff's Office died in a single-vehicle car crash on Highway 22 in West Salem.

Randy W. Whittaker left behind a wife whom he married 23 years ago but had loved for 26. He also left behind an eight-pack of dogs. Yes, eight, including one fawn-colored bullmastiff who was his baby and owned a piece of his heart.

Randy's widow, Suzy Whittaker, is grateful she can be comforted by Truman, a 120-pound, pony-sized canine who for all intents and purposes was attached to Randy's hip. Because she almost lost him as well.

The crash remains under investigation, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office, whose officers are preparing for Whittaker's services Thursday. What is known is that Randy was eastbound in his personal vehicle on Highway 22 in the right lane when another vehicle passed him. He moved to the left lane, apparently lost control of his vehicle and struck the large cement center median there.

RELATED STORY: Sergeant with Polk County Sheriff dies in Hwy 22 crash

Few people beyond friends and family knew that Truman was with Randy at the time of the crash. Banged up, the limber dog bolted from the car after the accident.

Confused and slightly injured, the dog sprinted from the scene and was spotted by 23-year-old Frankie Mendez running anxiously through the parking lot of the West Salem Safeway store.

Not many passers-by cared or wanted to approach the large dog with its wrinkled and droopy black muzzle and soft floppy ears, Mendez said.

"He had patches of blood on his fur and his leg was shaking bad," Mendez said. "I thought — you know people leave their dogs in the beds of pickups — that he might have jumped out of a truck. He was frantic and racing around and people were pointing and saying 'look at that dog' but no one was doing anything to help him."

So Mendez, a dog lover who had his own pit bull/mastiff mix taken from him after it bit someone, did what needed to be done.

"I approached him, with caution, of course, but I went to him and he calmed down a bit," Mendez said.

Mendez was with his girlfriend, Tanya Cam, and Cam's two goddaughters, Maria, 12, and Julia Smirnov, 15. He had them run into the Dollar Tree store to buy the dog a collar since it wasn't wearing one, and then he used his own belt to fashion a leash for the skittish dog.

"The dollar store didn't have leashes, so I used my belt because I didn't want him to run again," Mendez said. "He just stayed put."

Mendez then started walking around the parking lot asking people if they knew who owned the mastiff. He had no idea the big dog had been involved in an automobile crash. He, his girlfriend and the girls waited in front of the store with the dog, making inquiries as people went to and from their cars. He also gave the dog some water, which it drank in big gulps.

"We waited about an hour or so, hoping someone would come get the dog," Mendez said. "But no one did. Then some people told me there was a vet's office just down the street, so I took the dog there, hoping it had a microchip."

He took Truman on his makeshift leash to the West Salem Animal Clinic on Edgewater Street NW. A spokeswoman at the clinic confirmed that they checked the dog for serious injuries, and then were able to get the owner's phone number from a microchip implanted under the dog's skin.

The clinic called Suzy Whittaker and told her that her dog had been found in West Salem. She had not yet learned that her husband had been killed in a motor vehicle crash, so she presumed the dog got loose from her husband while he visited a family member in Salem. Unable to get away at the time, she asked her friend from flyball club, (a racing competition for dogs and their owners), Joni Fry of Dallas, if she could pick up the dog. Fry agreed, but then ran into the long line of traffic created by the deadly crash. It was at least an hour before she could get to the vet clinic.

By that time, Polk County Sheriff and Salem Police Department officers who had been searching for the dog arrived at the clinic. They caught up with Mendez there with a kennel to hold the dog. Mendez, still a little shy of police since his own dog had been taken from him, kept to himself and stayed off to the side.

The police informed Fry of Randy's death when she arrived, and asked her to accompany them to her friend's home to be with her and their five Jack Russell terriers, one Rottweiler and one Australian shepherd when they had to deliver the news. The officers thanked Mendez for his effort, but did not tell him what had happened. He said he found out only by putting two and two together when he read about the crash online the next day.

RELATED STORY: Crashes kill three in about 12 hours

"I'm so grateful to Frankie for his time and consideration; just knowing to take a dog for a microchip scan; not everyone would do that," Fry said. "Someone could have easily stolen the dog or just ignored it. He was so confused and scared. Frankie really was a comfort to Truman. The poor fella shook for two days. He was so devoted to Randy that he would whine on a normal day when Randy was just at work. This has been so hard on them all."

The accident traumatized Truman, Suzy said. The dog spent the first few days after the crash running around the house, constantly looking for Randy, and jumping up every time someone came up the drive to visit, hoping to catch sight of his owner.

"But he's doing better now," Suzy said through a soft sob. "He's not crying for Randy as much and he's staying with me and keeping me company on the couch. I want to say I love the man (Frankie) for holding onto him. I very much consider Frankie a hero for what he did, and I know Randy would, too. He has been the one bright spot in this whole thing."

Suzy plans to meet Frankie on Saturday to thank him for his kindness. Her flyball club, Animal House, and another local club, Muddy Paws, are planning to honor the man in some way for stepping in when others didn't.

There is no happy ending to this story. Randy is never coming home to chuck the big dog under the chin or take him to the beach or hiking and camping again. Truman, in time, will adjust. For now, though, he's a dog confused about where his pack leader is.

But at least he's safe at home with the other human being who loves him. All because of the selflessness of a stranger.

ccurrie@statesmanjournal.com; (503) 399-6746 or follow on Twitter at @CATMCurrie

Services Thursday

Funeral services for Polk County Sheriff's Sgt. Randy Whittaker will be held at 3 p.m., Thursday, July 24, at Trinity Lutheran Church, 320 SE Fir Villa Road, Dallas. The service is open to the public. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to any local animal-rescue shelter in care of Dallas Mortuary Tribute Center, 287 SW Washington St., Dallas. Tributes at www.dallastribute.com