This past week I saw something amazing happen. And I'd like to share it with you.
This, my friends, is Rocco.
a quiet, unassuming, older guy. He has a fairly thick accent and has had a stroke so he is a bit
hard to understand. He lives very frugally and he loves Boxers. He lives on a low fixed income.
They have tried to get Roger to go into a place that will care for him. But, he is fiercely independant
and all he has is his furbaby. I think he does just fine, considering he is all alone.
Roger and Rocco walk the blocks of Northwood, in West Palm Beach, and everyone knows who they are. Rocco isa rescued dog, so was already grown when Roger got him. So his love for running when he gets free is a problem for Roger. Who tries to be very careful, but can't run anymore to catch him.
Roger is the neighborhood dog walker and will walk your dog while you work. No one worries cause Rocco is the only dog who ever got away from him. Usually Rocco heads for the local dog park.
Four days ago, Roger, frantically knocked on our door. It took us a few minutes to get to the door.
Roger was despondent, Rocco got away and was not at the park. Roger got rides to look for Rocco,
by us and others. The guy across the street walked his own dog looking for days for Rocco.
Now here's the good part. In addition to dozens and dozens of our community looking for Rocco, I
saw a side of my neighborhood I didn't think existed. Strangers looked for Rocco. It was posted on
Twitter, Facebook, Google, you name it. It was shared by a whole gang of strangers on these media
sites. I was shocked. After three days, I was afraid that Rocco was gone. We were in the front yard when we saw Roger with Rocco, on a triple leash. Not the best of contraptions, but the best Roger could do not to lose him. Boxers have no head to hold their collars on and his just slips off. So he needs a harness.
Rocco had been found on Facebook! Imagine that! People who don't even know other people, shared and looked for this dog. It made me feel that the power of social media is not all bad. Without it, Rocco might never have been found. He spent three days being taken care of by people quite a ways from his home. Roger was beaming and Rocco was behaving. People on Facebook are human, they care and they made a difference.
We all worried about Roger and knew without Rocco, he might give up. Thanks to all who helped find Rocco...people looking out for other people is just plain refreshing!!!
Me, I am gonna find Rocco the best harness I can buy for Roger, so his "baby" never gets away again.
It's nice to know that social media can be used in this positive manner. Thanks for sharing this heartwarming tale.
Thanks for sharing this sweet story, Mary. Just goes to show that social media, like everything else, should be used for good instead of evil. :)
What a nice, heartwarming story. Thanks for sharing.
I think at heart most people do care and want to help out where they can. Thanks for sharing this, Mary!
Thank you for sharing this story with us. Social media can be a very useful resource to help get the word out about something like this and bring about a happy ending.
I love a happy ending! Thanks, Mary R.
This sounds just like one of the stories in our new Christmas anthology. Christmas with Buddy written by Jackie Rod. Life imitating fiction! Imagine. Be sure to check out Jackie's story and eleven other super stories in A Stone Mountain Christmas coming real soon from Gilded Dragonfly Press.
Thanks all!
What a great story, so glad Rocco was found and was safe and well - just shows Social Media can be a powerful resource for good, when used properly. Thank goodness for kind, caring folks - and you, Mary, how kind to buy Rocco a harness. I'm a great fan of them, they stop a dog's neck being hurt by a collar if they pull as well. I use a 'long line' on my own little terrier, It attaches to the harness like a leash but is about 36 ft long, so he can run 'free' in open spaces without danger of getting lost. It's actually a spare lunge line like I use for the horses, but you can buy them specially for dogs too. It's great for training dogs or for dogs that might go too far if they're completely free. There is also a type of leash that they use in the shelter I had Choccy from, which has a hook at each end so you can hook both ends to the harness which gives you more grip on the doubled leash (like a pair of reins) or just hook the one end so the dog has more freedom on a longer line. Just a couple of thoughts. Hope Roger and Rocco will never lose each other again!
I'm so glad they found him...you hear so much negativity about social media, but this make you want to believe all the good out there.
A beautiful and inspiring post. So good to hear that social media could be used in such a positive way.