By KURT NESBITT

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- Sometimes a cloud has a silver lining, as the family of Lowell Wagness found out.

On the Friday before Christmas, Wagness, of Dallas, Texas, stopped at a convenience store on Broadway with his son, Leslie, 41, of Sioux Falls, S.D., and a 2 1/2-year old sheltie named Buddy.

While at Budget Mart, the men left Buddy tied to a fence. When they came out, Buddy was gone. The men searched the area near the store, calling the dog's name, with no results. They filed a missing dog report with the New Ulm Police Department that same day.

Buddy's disappearance was particularly devastating to Wagness, who is deaf and uses Buddy for a variety of tasks. Man and dog have traveled together, and Buddy has often served as a companion in addition to his duties as Wagness' ears.

Later that night, Greg Day, 27, of New Ulm, was heading back to New Ulm from a Christmas party in Comfrey. He saw a dog across the street from the station where Buddy went missing.

"I just stopped," Day said. "I'm a sucker for dogs, and I didn't want him to freeze."

Day pulled his truck over, got out, and called the dog, who got inside the vehicle immediately.

Day brought the dog back to his house in New Ulm and told his kids they could keep him, unless the owner is found.

Day called NUPD on Thursday after he saw an article in The Journal about a missing dog that matched the description of the one he found.

Roseann Holder, Lowell Wagness' ex-wife, called Day at his house Thursday afternoon. Day said Holder was relieved at the news.

Holder said Wagness was en route to Dallas, but she would ship Buddy home by plane after she gets him back. She said Wagness "will probably sleep tonight for the first time."

"This story is sort of a 'Lassie Comes Home' ten times over," Holder said.

In exchange for Buddy, Day will receive a reward of $100. Holder says she wants to thank everyone responsible for finding Buddy.

Missing hearing dog found