Last Thursday, Paulina Rybak experienced every dog owner's nightmare.
While she was walking her Staffordshire terrier, Boston, he slipped away and was suddenly gone.
"We took him outside and after a few seconds, we couldn't see him," she recounted to the Dodo. "We started looking for him but couldn't find him."
Rybak, who has two young children, was understandably upset. And the family only became more upset as the days passed and there was still no sign of Boston. Living in London amidst heavy traffic, they feared the worst.
But sometimes, with a little luck and a population plugged into social media, lost dogs have a funny way of turning up, in places you'd least expect!
And the Rybak family was lucky. Not only were they reunited with Boston, but they only had to wait six days, unlike the woman who had to wait two years to be reunited with her missing pup.
See where Boston turned up, and how he made it home!
[H/T: The Dodo, Yahoo News]
When she lost her dog, Boston, Paulina Rybak immediately called her vet, who put her in touch with the local authorities. They said they would let her know if they found anything.
Rybak and her family were heartbroken and scared.
Around the same time as Rybak was making frantic calls, this photo surfaced.
Bus driver Amos Paul Mak was shocked when he discovered a lost, sad, and very confused dog aboard his bus one night.
The dog seemed friendly, but was scared and trembling.
Mak recalled seeing the dog getting on the bus with two men, who then seemingly abandoned the poor pooch, getting off the bus and disappearing.
Mak and his colleagues fed and stayed with the dog, and posted his photo on social media.
Soon, the internet was abuzz with compassion for the dog, and anger at whomever left him there.
Meanwhile, Rybak and her children, Filip and Zofia, were at home devastated. "I felt very, very sad because he is part of our family," she said.
But then she saw the photos. That sad, scared dog on the bus was none other than Boston!
Soon, the Newham Council, which had been in contacy with Rybak regarding Boston, was bringing Boston back to his home and family.
"I was so happy, I started crying," Rybak says. "I thought we would never see him again."
Boston enjoyed a warm welcome from Filip, age 8, and Zofia, age 3.
After his adventure, the first thing Rybak did was get Boston microchipped.
That way, if he ever gets out again, they'll be able to locate him immediately. Microchipping is now required by law for dogs in the U.K., too.
SHARE Boston's story to show that a simple Facebook picture can reunite a family, and to spread the word about microchipping!
