“Oh where, oh where has my little dog gone?”
This was recently the situation at Garden Terrace Healthcare Center in Federal Way, Washington, which is undergoing renovations.
A resident’s husband brought their dog, Snickers, to visit his wife every day. On April 23, Snickers got scared of the noise of the construction as his owner was about to bring him into the building. The dog got off his leash, and the husband lost track of him.
“Heartbroken and flustered, he came in and explained what had happened,” said Megan Larson, executive director.
Immediately, the team at Garden Terrace sprang into action to help. Larson, along with the maintenance director and other associates, drove around the surrounding blocks looking for the dog, but with no luck.
Lost dog signs went up the next day, and all associates would go look for Snickers on their lunch breaks or when driving to and from work. Each day, the husband would come in and look and thank staff for trying to help find Snickers.
Five days later, Snickers was found in a cage the owner had set up in the back of the facility.
“Snickers and his owner came in full of joy, and the whole facility was overjoyed to see them reunited,” said Larson. “He was so grateful of the staff’s continued efforts for posting lost dog signs, spreading the news through social media and word of mouth.”
To celebrate the reunion, the owner brought in a box of Snickers bars for the staff.