As pet parents, our worst fear is losing our pet. Whether it be because they got out and got lost or straight-up stolen, the idea of losing our dogs is terrifying, and we do everything we possible can to avoid it.
However, sometimes, life has other plan. Life lets our dog become lost, and the goalpost moves: we have to find them. On Monday, August 12th, one family managed to do just that, and their reunion was sweeter than anything else you’ll see all day:
I’m sure Ela Meadows is incredibly happy Teddy’s mom gets to have him back, and everyone else is glad she got him back, too! Hopefully he stays safe for the rest of forever!
Related: Poodle Leaves People in Stitches After Demanding To Go to Her “MamMaw’s House”
Teddy, a 5-month-old service dog in training, was taken from his home in Ottawa, Canada, and smuggled across the US/Canada border. His mom said that he was kidnapped while she was at work, and she seemed to know who did the swiping – when the dog-jacker was stopped for an unrelated incident in Wyoming, they had a warrant out for their arrest for taking him.
Ottawa and Wyoming are over 2,000 miles apart, with Ottawa being close to New York and Wyoming butting up against the West Coast states. Finding Teddy there opened up a whole host of issues: for one thing, getting him home would be a little bit of a legal issue, and for another, it was expensive.
The Riverton Police Department were angels when it came to helping Teddy get home: while he was with them, they made sure he felt as happy and safe as possible. With the help of donations from the community, they managed to get Teddy on a flight to Toronto, where he met his mom and reunited. The videos that followed made me cry, so I can’t even imagine how the officers were feeling seeing their hard work pay off!
What to do if your dog gets stolen
Nobody is prepared for their dog to get stolen, even if you try to prepare. While you’ll never know how you’ll be feeling or reacting in the moment, the best you can do is take preventative measures. Once your dog is stolen, the goal is finding them and getting them home safely.
When you first get a dog, regardless of whether you’re buying or adopting, you should speak to the vet about getting them microchipped. Vets’ offices can sometimes be a little more expensive, though, so you can also look around at chains like PetSmart/PetCo for microchipping if you can’t afford it!
- When your dog is stolen, reach out to the local non-emergency line.
- Because there’s no immediate “danger,” calling 9-1-1 typically won’t get you attention faster.
- If the person who stole your dog was armed or threatened you, calling 9-1-1 is totally appropriate!
- If you’re there to witness the theft, snap pictures immediately but don’t engage the thief – you never know what they could be armed with or willing to do.
- Once the police have been alerted, start posting any pictures of the thief you have and pictures of your dog.
- Continue to remind the public what happened, what your dog looks like, and whatever information you have.
Whenever something changes, like your address or phone number, you should be updating your dog’s microchip. A microchip is more reliable than GPS collars – while GPS collars are amazing, there’s no guarantee a thief won’t simply take it off and toss it. Luckily for Teddy, his thief wasn’t nearly as dedicated as his mom was, and now he gets to be back home!
