Why Gallo workers killed in crash were honored at Stanislaus County animal shelter

Matthew Chachere and Jennifer Besser were walking their beloved dog, Buddy, in November when all three were hit by a speeding car and killed.

The crash occurred in San Luis Obispo, where the couple, both E.&J. Gallo Winery employees, had moved from Modesto. They had adopted Buddy, an Anatolian shepherd, from the Stanislaus Animal Services Agency a year before their deaths, according to Executive Director Vaughn Maurice.

The couple’s friends, family and co-workers at Gallo raised funds to donate to the shelter. Gallo Winery matched them, for a total of over $20,000, Maurice said.

“The donations were made in the couple’s names as a tribute to the love of their dog, Buddy,” he said.

One of the adoption bonding rooms at the shelter has been dedicated in Besser’s and Cachere’s names and a plaque with Buddy’s picture hangs on the wall.

The funds were used to buy a freezer to store frozen treats for the dogs. The shelter also purchased water bowls that can be securely mounted to the kennels to prevent spills. The remaining funds were earmarked for a project to renovate the shelter’s spay/neuter clinic, which still needs additional funds, Maurice said.

Besser and Cachere were walking Buddy on Nov. 21, before heading to Modesto to visit family for Thanksgiving, when they were killed.

The couple’s bodies weren’t found until the next day, lying in a creek bed underneath dense brush, several hours after police received a report of a dead dog in the creek bed.

The driver of the vehicle that hit them, Daniel Angel Saligan Patricio, has been charged with two counts of felony vehicular manslaughter. He pleaded not guilty to the crimes last month.