Best Dog Rescue Stories You'll Ever Hear

They beat the odds and found their way home.

Best Dog Adoption Stories You'll Ever Hear

Warning. Before you proceed further, break out the tissues. Losing a pet is absolutely heartbreaking, and after a day or two, it's easy to start losing hope. In case you need to hear this, don't. It's never too late.

There are plenty of heartwarming accounts of people who have lost their pets, only for them to turn up months, even years later. Heartwarming is an understatement, actually. Our hearts have third-degree burns from reading these inspiring lost-dog rescue stories.

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This Lost Dog Story Is a Sign to Believe in Miracles

The second your dog goes missing, worst-case scenarios start flashing through your mind. Will they survive a wildlife attack, a car crash, or go hungry? It isn’t over until it’s over. Don't give up looking. Mentally prepare for the worst, but hope for the best. Even small dogs can be scrappier and more resourceful than we realize.

Just take it from this Reddit user, whose tiny dog defied the odds and made it home safe.

"My little 17 pound pup got out of our backyard and the last time I saw her she was running into a ravine. It was heartbreaking. We searched for days, had multiple others searching, put out stuff on local pet Facebook groups, left out food and water, etc. Eight days went by, and I had honestly lost hope. We are flush with coyotes, and she is very small. It was hard.

Then, on day eight, an animal control guy showed up at my house saying they found her (she was chipped). He had me follow him to an abandoned house where she was found. She looked terrible. Bite wounds on her neck and head, burn marks from being hit by a car and sliding on pavement, and bone thin. We took her to the vet, and she stayed overnight. We've had her back for six months, and she pulled through like a champ!! Don't give up!"

Large Dogs, Especially, Are More Self-Sufficient Than We Realize

Lost pets sometimes go missing for weeks or months before turning up. This poor family panicked for weeks before getting lucky.

"I was a kid. Somehow the dog got loose. I spent days canvassing the neighborhood looking for her, going to shelters and dog pounds, but couldn't find her anywhere. After a few weeks, my parents told me more than likely, she either died or someone else took her in. I grieved my loss, and life went on.

Fast forward about three months later. It's the middle of the night, and I'm asleep. I hear a dog outside of my window yelping like crazy. I go outside, and there she is! She's all dusty and has foxtails all stuck in her fur like she's been running through a field (we lived in a major city). She just walks in the house like nothing happened and goes to her normal sleeping spot. It's all so surreal I thought I was dreaming. Since she acted like nothing happened, so did I. I went back to sleep."

Anticlimactic but sweet. We'd love to know what goes through a dog's mind when it runs off and then returns home out of the blue. Maybe it's like the equivalent of taking a gap year abroad during college. You crave adventure, but after some exploration and self-discovery, you know it's time to go home. Either that, or they saw a squirrel family they needed to stake out.

We're Convinced That Dogs Are More Reliable Than People

In some cases, dogs aren't lost at all. One Redditor had their dog snatched out from right under their nose.

"Growing up, we had an Australian Shepherd that was stolen from us. I grew up in the middle of nowhere, and like a week later, our neighbor was driving home and saw our dog running down the road toward our house (like five or six miles from home) She called her name, and our dog recognized her and jumped in the car. She had somehow remembered the roads to navigate her way back home. Who knows how far she had run at that point."

Dognapping isn't as uncommon as you might think, especially when expensive purebreds are involved. While finding a stolen dog might be tougher than recovering a dog that's simply missing, it's still possible to luck out and find them again. Dogs are incredibly loyal. This one found its way almost all the way home before a friendly neighbor gave her a lift.

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Cats Aren't As Grateful to Be Found, but This Story Is Still Encouraging

Lost cat rescue stories are just as encouraging as lost dog stories. This one disappeared for not just months, but years, before she was found over an hour away.

"Not a dog, but a cat. I had this microchipped cat in 2010 for two weeks before she vanished like a fart in the wind. I never did figure out how she got out of my apartment. Five years later, I got a call from a vet 60 miles away that they had my cat. I went to pick her up, and she was a skinny, scarred, one eared, feral ball of hate. I kept her, and now we have an understanding. I feed her and clean her litter box, and in return, she hates me."

She wasn't thrilled to be home, but at least she was found.

Wow. What a Story.

If your dog has been missing for a while, staying hopeful is tough. Don't stop looking, because this determined dad found their family pet after it joined a gambling ring in a different country.

"We had a boxer puppy named Angus that was in my dad's car when it was stolen. We didn’t even live anywhere near where he was taken. It was in Newcastle, in England, and we’re from central Scotland, so the chances of getting him back were slim to say the least. But my dad was determined, and Angus’s picture was put in all the newspapers he could manage. This was the mid '90s, so the print quality was not the best.

An entire year later, someone won Angus in a card game and handed him in to the police. We’re still not sure if he knew that this was the dog that was missing, or if he just couldn’t be bothered actually owning a dog, but they phoned up my dad (and also the news for some reason, guess it must have been good press for them), and he was interviewed for the evening news before traveling down to pick him up.

By the time my older sister and I were home from school, Angus was already home. I was very young and don’t remember it, but my mum said he recognized us and was very happy to see us. We still have the video recording of the news story that aired about it, and it’s hilarious. My sister and I essentially treated our dogs like they were just another sibling, so there’s photos of us that were broadcast to the nation covered in dirt from playing with him, and dressed up as doctors and nurses (with him dressed up too)."

Wow. What a story. The odds of being reunited with a dog that was stolen while in a different country are slim, but Angus's owners were undeterred by the steep odds. They were rewarded with the story of a lifetime that was so good it made the news.

When in Doubt, Check the Paper

Little Maltipoo puppy holding a stick in his teeth while sitting on the green grass

Yes, we realize print media is struggling, but it still has its uses. Figuring out what to do when you find a lost pet is challenging and rarely convenient. Dogs can end up camping out with foster families and even crossing state lines with them while their foster fam is trying to find their real owner. That's what happened to this Reddit user's little poodle mix.

"I was maybe 15 or 16 and had a tiny little Maltese mix that escaped the house when we were installing new locks on the front door. We looked everywhere for her. Called the pound every day. Put up posters. Nothing. She had been missing for maybe six weeks, and one day I figured I’d check the paper to see if there was a found ad. There was an ad for a dog matching her description and location. Sure enough, it was our dog.

She ran a few blocks over to a local college dorm and a girl had picked her up. She kept her there for a couple of days, but it was the last few days of school before the semester was over and she'd have to go back home. So she took my dog with her back home, two states away, because she didn’t want to take her to the pound. My dad was a private pilot, so we took a tiny Cessna and met them at their local airport to pick up our dog. It was a wild ride."

Check Nextdoor. Check Facebook. Check the paper. Your dog might be a private plane ride away.

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Speaking of Old-Fashioned Media, a Few Ads Can Go a Long Way

Cat sleeping in the old newspapers basket

Nextdoor and Facebook are all well and good, but this moving story is a great reminder that radio and TV ads are still a thing.

"Don't forget about local radio and TV stations. I was just 10 years old when my cat vanished from my house after my sister left the front door open. I made posters, searched on foot and called local media. They were more than happy to help me out, and I got Smokey back two weeks later because an old gentleman had been watching the local news. Don't forsake hope just yet. Best of luck, guys!"

Why didn't it occur to us that local radio stations would be willing to help a family find their lost pet? Stories like this restore our faith in humanity. Good people are out there, happy to help, if only you're bold enough to ask. Connect with people who have the means to spread the word across your area, so more people will be on the lookout.

If it worked for Smokey, it could work for you.

Lost Dog Rescues Happen Out of the Blue

The longer a pet is missing, the less promising it seems that you'll find them. To some extent, that's an illusion. Dogs don't think like us. In some cases, they wander off for reasons unknown and get taken in by a good samaritan.

"Keep the faith. My pug/Boston terrier mix (approximately 20 pounds) was lost in Northern Arizona during the winter for two weeks. I recruited friends and put up fliers everywhere (including some big neon poster boards with my info.) We posted on Craigslist and in local newspapers, checked vets/the pound/local businesses, and the day I absolutely had to head back to my state because winter break was over, I got the call — someone recognized her from the fliers. She'd been living in the desert behind their house. I wish you the best of luck."

See? They could be right down the street, happily eating roasted chicken in someone's yard like this dog was, and you'd have no idea. Keep posting flyers and spreading the word.

Heck, This Isn't a Lost Dog Story, but It Sure Makes You Think

Finding a lost dog with a microchip is easier than finding a lost small pet in the house, but this tale is proof that even that's possible, if you're lucky.

"So my leopard gecko is an escape artist, and if you don't fully lock her cage, she will escape. We've always found her right away, except for once. That one time, she went missing for 10 months, over winter, and somehow survived without heaters or food for that time. We had torn apart the house and put it back together. One day we found her, skinny, ANGRY, but alive, hiding in an old paintball pod. She got nicknamed Bitey Mcnomnom for a while because of it."

If a cold-blooded gecko with a brain smaller than a peanut can survive with no heat lamp, food or water in a paintball pod, of all places, there's hope for any lost dog or cat. They have way more survival mechanisms than a tiny, ticked-off gecko. Sometimes, lost pets get spooked and find a safe place to hide right under your nose.

Want to help keep your dog healthy and save money on essential care? Get Lemonade pet health insurance.

Clean Up On Aisle 4: Tears Spilled Everywhere

Instead of thinking of horrific endings, think on the hilarious, happy endings that the family will be talking about for years. You know that this dog didn't cross a five-lane highway to start party planning in a snowstorm without it becoming their family's absolute best story to share.

"Our dog, Spooner (RIP), with failing eyesight in her old age, got turned around in our neighborhood and disappeared as a snowstorm was rolling in. We were freaked. We did Facebook posts, patrolled the neighborhood, all that. ‘Bout an hour later, we get a call from Party City saying they found Spooner on aisle four. She somehow managed to cross five lanes of traffic during rush hour, wander through a massive parking lot and trot into a Party City store. Turns out they have an automatic opening door and she wandered up, the doors slide open and she was in roaming the aisles making new friends. She was the best dog to ever dog. She is missed!"

If Your Dog Is Lost, It's Totally Possible That They're Working Hard to Find You, Too

Traveling golden tetriever with suitcase sitting on the street

When you're stressing out about a lost pet, keep in mind that even domesticated animals have strong natural instincts that humans can't fully understand. This one checked every home her family had lived in previously, covering a good chunk of the California coastline, until she found her way home.

"This wasn't my dog, but my girlfriend's family dog, and it's probably one hell of a story, but most of it is unknown. They moved a lot due to various factors, before finally settling down in a suburb outside of Sacramento. Their family dog had moved with them, multiple times, across California. She was an incredibly smart and good girl, the kind of dog who apparently just automatically understood what was needed by her human at any point. Her father would often take the dog hunting and fishing, and the dog had some kind of natural instinct for it.

While moving around, this dog also made tons of doggy friends. My girlfriend's family lived in some unconventional housing situations, like on a farm, or in the backyard of another person, chasing work up and down the state. Tons of animal friends. Well, one day, their dog got out and disappeared. They thought all was lost, until they received a call from an old neighbor, asking them why they brought the dog over to play with their dog, but they didn't even stop by to say hello. Her family hopped in the car to try to get to this home (it was about a two-hour drive away), but by the time they got there, the dog had already escaped.

To make a two-month story short, this dog went through and visited every single neighborhood that she had lived in, visiting all of her friends, and my girlfriend's family kept getting confused calls from people asking them why their dog was there. They eventually gave up trying to chase her and left her to her devices. One day, the dog showed up on their front steps, slightly skinnier and a little scratched up, but not too worse for wear.

That dog had gone on a tour of California, visiting all of her doggy friends and other animal friends, for the heck of it, and then lived another few years as a calm house dog with one hell of a hunting and fishing instinct. It's unbelievable, but they have the people to back the story up. They've kept in contact with their landlords and neighbors, and they'll corroborate the story of said dog visiting randomly for a few hours one day and then disappearing."

This Isn't So Much a Lost Pet Rescue Story as It Is a Survival Story

Cats and small dogs scooped up by wildlife usually don't make it, but this Redditor's story proves it's not impossible.

"In April, my cat was sitting outside on our patio at around eight. She was picked up by an owl, she fought off the owl mid-air, and was in the woods still the next day when we saw her, with four stab wounds from the claws of the owl."

That said, this happy ending was incredibly lucky. It's always safer to keep dogs leashed and keep cats indoors. If an owl manages to break in and kidnap your cat from the kitchen, they've honestly earned the snack.

Want to help keep your dog healthy and save money on essential care? Get Lemonade pet health insurance.

This Lost Dog Rescue Story Was Brought to You by the Internet

Group of first day golden retriever puppies with mother

The internet, and kind people looking out for each other. Oh, and luck. The odds of this story panning out so well were next to nil.

"Our two dogs got loose one day and we couldn't find them. We looked everywhere for them and followed every lead with no luck. We live in a rural area and after a couple of months we figured they were gone for good. They went missing at the beginning of August before our kids started school.

In December, I was browsing Facebook and came across a post on the local sale/trade page. A woman had recently found a dog and was looking to rehome her because she had other pets and was unable to keep another. She looked like one of ours so I contacted the lady and she was thrilled to give her back to us. Apparently she had seen her chained up in the yard of a dog hoarder, had a feeling she didnt belong there and stopped and got her.

It was pure luck that we found her. The Facebook page where she was listed was disabled a couple of days later. She was also pregnant when we got her back and gave birth to 16 puppies a few weeks later. We had an appointment to get her fixed that had to be cancelled once she went missing. This all happened about three years ago and she is happily spoiled rotten and safe. We never found our other dog, but a friend thought she saw her for sale online but was unable to find the post. I hope she found another family and is being treated well!"

Local Facebook groups are a good place to check, along with Marketplace, Craigslist and Nextdoor posts. If lost dogs are stolen or found locally, they're unlikely to be far away. Make sure friends and family in the area are keeping their eyes peeled on their social media feeds too.

If a Hamster Can Survive Two Weeks on Its Own, There's Hope for Any Lost Pet

Animals are crazy resourceful. Their ancestors had to survive in the wilderness, which was, big shocker, literally wild. Pets often draw on their baseline survival instincts when they get lost — even hamsters with a brain the size of a peanut.

"We were leaving on family vacation when I was 12. Right before we left, we realized someone left the hamster cage open, and it got out. We looked for a while, then figured it was gone forever. We came back two weeks later, and still no sign of the hamster. That is, until I went to take my laundry upstairs. At the bottom of the three-foot bin is the hamster, and a bunch of my clothes with chew holes in it. The hamster survived for two weeks by eating my clothes."

If this hamster made it, there's hope for your dog. They might be gleefully eating leftover takeout from a garbage can before spending the night snoozing under someone's porch. Don't panic.

When You Do Find Your Lost Pet, Don't Forget Pants

It's a minor detail when you're overjoyed, but the neighbors might disagree. One Redditor was so elated to see her cat, that she ran outside to pick her up before throwing on a pair of sweats.

"Not a dog owner, but a cat owner. I have three cats, one of which is a tiny, tiny little Manx mix named Bobbi, who I adopted from the local SPCA after she had finally weened the kittens she came in with. All of my cats are indoor cats, as it's just too dangerous for cats to go outside where I live (basically, in the woods.) When my li'l Bob escaped, I was distraught. We looked for her every day for around two weeks. By then, we had decided she was, most likely, gone.

Another two weeks went by, and around 10 p.m. one night, I go out to the kitchen to get something to eat, and I look out the window only to see my little cat, just sitting in the front yard, looking in the window. I ended up running outside, forgetting that I was half-naked as I had just gotten out of the shower. She just walked up to me and meowed for me to pick her up and take her inside. Apparently, this was also when my neighbor got home from work. They were very confused to see me in my underwear on the front lawn at 10 p.m., holding my cat while crying."

If you're reunited after weeks of fruitless searching, we'd argue you get a free pass to run outside and scoop them up even if you're butt naked. If the neighbors don't celebrate with you, get new neighbors. This is a good day.

Want to help keep your dog healthy and save money on essential care? Get Lemonade pet health insurance.