Receiving an outpouring of support from strangers and friends on social media can mean the world to any dog owner whose pup has gone missing. This is exactly what Hannah Riley, an Atlanta resident, experienced when her 10-year-old Papillon Mix named Hazel disappeared.
Thanks to the thousands of people online who rallied behind her in search of missing Hazel, Riley’s worst nightmare eventually came to an end.
Owner’s friends and Twitter followers come together to look for senior dog
According to PEOPLE, Riley was out of the country when she received news that her senior dog had gone missing. Hazel — who was under the care of a dog sitter at the time of her disappearance — escaped during a visit to an emergency vet hospital on March 17.
Following the heartbreaking news, Riley shared many posts on X regarding her cherished canine’s disappearance. Thankfully, as she organized to come back home, her posts sparked a community of concerned people ready to join in on the search. Her friends hit the ground running, distributing fliers everywhere.
Determined to see Riley eventually reunite with her beloved senior pup, thousands of social media users contributed toward Riley’s online fundraiser. She set it up to raise advertisement revenue that would help her further spread awareness about her missing pup.
After days of searching with no luck, dealing with scammers, and sleepless nights, on March 22, Riley finally received the news she’d been desperately longing for. Someone had found Hazel and even shared a picture of her alive as proof.
“I can’t even explain the feeling of seeing her again. She had lost about a third of her weight and was in a state of shock, but she was wagging her tail and very ready to get in the car and go home,” an overjoyed Riley shared.
Riley further revealed that Hazel — who suffers from a heart murmur — underwent blood work to determine her health status after the traumatizing experience. The relieved dog owner announced she’d donate all unutilized proceeds from the online fundraiser to the Atlanta Humane Society, where she adopted Hazel.
