Late last year, a curious dog named Boey found himself in a sticky situation when he wandered away from his home in Zolfo Springs, Florida, and got lost.
Eventually, Boey wound up in Bradenton, Florida — over 50 miles away. Rescuers aren’t sure how exactly Boey got to Bradenton, but they suspect a well-meaning person picked him up and brought him along. Boey soon escaped this person and found himself wandering around a Girl Scout campground, where he eagerly began making friends.
“This guy showed up at our Girl Scout camp … and stuck around the whole weekend,” one camper wrote in a Facebook post about the event. “He slept in the rain outside the girls’ cabins.”
Eventually, someone from the Girl Scout troop took Boey to a local veterinarian’s office to confirm he was okay. From there, vets began communicating with local rescue teams, deciding where Boey should go. Patty Giarrusso, president and founder of Lost Pet Services, Inc., ultimately helped coordinate Boey’s travels to Manatee County Animal Welfare.
For a while, Boey waited in Manatee County. Then, in February, Giarruso received a message from a volunteer with a post from a local “dog lost and found” Facebook group. The dog in the post looked just like Boey. Could it be him? Giarruso quickly got in touch with Boey’s owner, who was overjoyed to confirm that he was on his way.
Though his journey was long and winding, Boey finally wound up back where he belonged. For Giarruso, reunions like this one are what her job is all about.
“Every time something like this happens, I am beyond thankful, relieved, practically in tears,” Giarrusso told The Dodo. “Reunions like this never get old. They are always extremely rewarding.”