NEDERLAND, Colo. — Dozens of people are planning to join a search for a dog that has been missing since its home burned down in the Cold Springs Fire.
The 4-year-old St. Bernard named Geno belongs to Bretlyn and Charlie Schmidtmann.
Charlie Schmidtmann is a firefighter with Nederland Fire Department and was one of the first three firefighters on scene when the Cold Springs Fire began. While he was saving other homes, his burned to the ground.
The couple’s two dogs were home when it happened. They found one dog about a quarter mile away from the house with burns on his snout. But Geno is still missing.
“Geno is still missing. This Saturday 7/23 will mark 2 full weeks since the Cold Springs Fire and Geno’s disappearance. He needs our help!” organizers posted on Facebook on Thursday. “We are in the initial stages of coordinating a search party this Saturday.”
Within hours, more than 50 people had said they’d join the event.
“If he is still missing by Friday morning, we will be posting a grid style map and asking people to commit to an area to search on Saturday,” organizers said.
Organizers are going to great lengths to find the missing dog.
“There is a crate set up with food, water, and Charlie and Bretlyn’s clothing, so if he comes back home, that will be there for him,” according to the Finding Geno Facebook page.
“We have gathered resources that can be utilized when we have more information and a verifiable lead. These resources include more signage, created specifically to get leads from people passing by and through these areas, wildlife game cams that we can put up in conjunction with feeding stations to see if he is repeatedly coming to a certain area.”
The page has more than 1,500 likes. Just 1,446 people live in Nederland, according to the town’s website.
“Thank you all for searching, looking, and getting the word out. You have been checking area Facebook groups, Craigslist, local shelters and sharing local social media sites as well as talking to everyone you know and see along the way,” organizers said in a post.
Two residents who the Schmidtmanns say they have never even met started a community-wide effort to bring him home.
They posted dozens of large, neon signs all over the Nederland area and in Boulder Canyon. They also set up a Facebook page where there is an interactive map to show where people have searched for Geno.