Virginia Beach Neighbors Are Searching for Mikey the German Shepherd Who Ran Away After a Freak Accident on Elbow Road

Mikey did not wander off. He bolted after a pole landed on top of his owner’s car on Elbow Road in Virginia Beach on Monday evening.

He has not been found.

What Happened on Elbow Road

Aubree Midgett was returning from CVS when she heard a loud boom. When she came around the corner, she saw a pole had landed on top of a moving car.

The driver is now recovering in the hospital after complaining of chest pain at the scene.

Two dogs were inside the car. One, named Vooka, was severely injured and taken to a veterinarian. The other, a German Shepherd named Mikey, ran from the scene in the chaos.

What Neighbors Did Immediately

Sasha Jones, who lives nearby and knows the injured woman, received a text from her friend within minutes of the crash.

As WTKR reported on Mikey’s disappearance, Jones said: “She explained where she was and that Vooka was hurt, and Mikey took off, and my dad and I just came running.”

Community showing up fast is what saves animals. When a Pasadena dog was found unconscious inside a burning home, firefighters who arrived quickly made all the difference. The same principle applies here.

Jones and other community members have been searching the area. The city said it is working with the Virginia Beach Police Department as the investigation continues.

“I never thought that something like that could have happened, and the fact that it did is terrifying,” Jones said.

Why Mikey May Be Hard to Find

A dog that bolts from trauma behaves very differently from one that simply wandered away.

After a frightening event, dogs often run until exhausted, then hide. They go quiet, stop responding to their name, and sometimes avoid even familiar people. Searchers calling loudly may actually push a trauma-fled dog further away.

Setting a humane trap with familiar scents near the crash site, keeping search groups small, and posting flyers in a tight radius around Elbow Road are the approaches most likely to work.

Persistent searching makes the difference. Bear, a golden retriever from Illinois who survived two car strikes, was found three days later near a flooded river because his family refused to stop looking.

Have you ever helped search for a lost dog after a traumatic event? What worked for you? Tell me in the comments.

Why This Matters

Mikey’s case is not unusual. Dogs that flee due to fear are among the most difficult to recover.

According to Missing Animal Response Network’s lost dog behavior guidance, dogs that bolt in blind panic due to a traumatic incident will travel far and fast, then avoid human contact, even with their own family members. That is why the standard approach of calling their name rarely works in these cases.

Dogs that bolt from sudden frights are not rare. Halloween night is one of the highest-risk nights for dogs to escape open doors, loud noises, and strangers create the same panic that Mikey experienced.

Vooka is getting care. Mikey needs someone to find him first.

Key Takeaways

• Mikey, a German Shepherd, ran after a pole fell on his owner’s car on Elbow Road in Virginia Beach on Monday evening.
• His owner is recovering in hospital. His companion Vooka is at a veterinarian.
• Community members including Sasha Jones are actively searching.
• Trauma-fled dogs often hide silently and may not respond to their name.
• If you see Mikey near Elbow Road, contact Virginia Beach Animal Control.

Vooka Is at the Vet. Mikey Is Still Out There.

The community showed up immediately. That matters.

Now Mikey needs someone to find him.

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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. Details are based on public reports and may change.