ST. GEORGE —An Arizona woman is in need of the community’s help to find her lost 5-year-old silver lab Beauregard (Beau) after a single-car rollover in the Southern Utah backcountry.

The accident occurred Aug. 21 around 8 p.m. at GPS coordinates 37°44’51.7″N 110°54’31.7″W in Garfield County.

“That Sunday was one of the best days I’ve had in a long time until it was the worst day of my life,” said Andrea Tanzella, choking back tears. “We went to the lake, hiked to the falls. I remember even looking at him like, bud, this is the best day and I’m so grateful to be out here.”

Tanzella and Beau’s original plans changed due to the threat of severe thunderstorms. As a safety precaution, Tanzella decided to take the Burr Trail Road, a route she had not planned to take and for which she did not have map guides.

“I was trying to do the safe thing and I was trying to outrun a storm and not be in the canyon,” Tanzella said. 

As she looked for a place to camp for the night, she passed a sign around Paul’s Creek Crossing at Big Thompson Mesa. Unable to read the sign, she turned her head around to read it.

“The road curved and I probably turned the wheel as I looked over my shoulder,” she said. “I remember looking back and hitting the dirt. It’s a soft shoulder and there’s a berm on the side. The front of the car hit the berm and I did a summersault.”

While Tanzella doesn’t remember the entirety of the rollover crash, the next thing she recalled was grabbing the airbags in order to crawl out of the passenger window. The back of the car, which was turned into a full bed for both of them to sleep in, was now upside down and on top of Beau.

She began to pull out everything she could while screaming his name. She finally saw his face and was able to crawl out of the car on his own. Beau then sat down in the middle of the road, she gave him a big hug and let him know she was calling for help.

But as Tanzella pulled out her emergency SOS device and started to look for her phone, she turned back to the road. Beau was gone. 

She called his name repeatedly as she walked up and down the road, hitting the SOS button. A helicopter showed up about two hours later, and Tanzella said she fears that might have frightened Beau more. She refused hospital transport and responders at the scene – the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office and three flight medics – all assisted in the search for Beau. Using night vision, they found neither paw prints nor signs of the dog. 

“I probably walked around for a total of 10 or 11 hours looking for him,” Tanzella said. “The road didn’t show any prints so we think he took the road for a little bit then possibly cut off somewhere.” 

Four game cameras have been set up to monitor the area, along with rags soaked in chicken broth placed on nearby trees and bushes, in hopes of luring Beau. Told by specialists that the dog would likely come back to the crash site or nearby, she hung her clothing, as well as a blanket with which she and Beau slept.

Tanzella said she also learned Beau is most likely in a feral state, which could make approaching the dog unsafe. She emphasized that if anyone spots him, not to approach him, call his name or make eye contact. Instead, sit on the ground and attempt to coax him with treats. Use a phrase that may snap him out of his current state, such as “are you hungry,” which she plans to use. 

“He is such a friendly dog, but he doesn’t know who he is right now because he never leaves my side, he’s my Velcro. I joke that the only thing Beau loves more than me is food, which is why I placed food everywhere,” she said.

Friends have posted missing posters on social media and encouraged others to share. They also visited the neighboring towns of Escalante, Hanksville, Green Valley, Bluff and Boulder, along with the Bullfrog Marina, “papering the towns” with flyers at as many locations as possible. Flyers also can be seen on poles and check-in boxes at trailheads and campgrounds. 

A GoFundMe account has been set up to assist with costs related to the search. Tanzella said these costs include reimbursing volunteers for gas, and that any remaining donations will be donated to a good cause.

She expressed appreciation for every person who has shared Beau’s missing flyer or story, drove out to assist in the search, brought drones or other equipment and for the messages of support she’s received. See the GoFundMe here.

“People who’ve met Beau know how good he is and how much I love him, and how much he loves me,” Tanzella said. “ It’s just me and him against the world right now. I’m so lost without him. We just need to be back together.”

Call (480) 586-7880 with any information about Beau’s disappearance or whereabouts.

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