Dog Lost On Vacation Reunited With Family 4 Months Later
BOSTON (CBS) - It's a lost dog story that will make you believe in the kindness of strangers. A spaniel named Teddy took off from his Harwich family while they were all on vacation in Florida. Now, a very long four months later, Teddy and family have been reunited.
"How a little dog like this could survive is beyond me," says Nancy Robertson. She and her husband John took Teddy on vacation to Florida in March, and one day decided to leave him with a dog-sitter.
But Teddy had different plans. "The phone rang and it was the babysitter and she said, he got out and I can't get him to come back," remembers John Robertson.
Frantic, Nancy and John began searching. The pet-sitter posted the loss to Facebook, and animal lovers in the Florida town of Navarre joined the search. "People started calling us, asking where can we look, offering their help. It was amazing, amazing," Nancy says.
But Teddy was lost. With sorrow, the Robertson's came home to Harwich. "I was heartbroken, absolutely heartbroken," Nancy says.
But the good people of Navarre didn't give up, creating "Team Teddy," putting up missing dog posters and continuing the search. But four months passed. "We're thinking, we're never going to see him again," says Nancy.
Then one day a woman thought she spotted the runaway in her backyard. She put up a motion activated camera and sent the photos it took to Harwich. "I was stunned. It was Teddy," Nancy says.
The Robertsons rushed to Florida. Teddy was found, but in bad shape after months in the woods. Nancy saw her dog in a veterinarian's office. "He saw me, lifted up his head. He recognized me, and it was a beautiful reunion," she says.
And then they brought Teddy home, with eternal thanks for strangers who helped. "If it weren't for those people, we wouldn't have this dog. The epitome of love for somebody in trouble. I thought it was beautiful," Nancy says.
"It has been such a blessing to not only have our Teddy back, but to develop such great friendships," says John.
The Roberstons are getting ready for another vacation, and this time Teddy won't be out of their sight.
