Park City Family Reunited With Stolen Dog Thanks To Social Media
Apr 22, 2021, 7:57 AM
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Members of the Moore family have hundreds of people on social media to thank after they shared and commented on their Facebook post. They say those simple acts got their stolen dog, Zeus, back to them within 24 hours.
“The whole community just really, they brought Zeus back to us,” said Stephanie Moore, the dog’s owner. “It was so beautiful to see so many people care.”
On Thursday, the family dropped off their 160-pound Native American Indian Dog at a friend’s house for the night while they moved into their new home. While there, Zeus vanished and was believed to have been stolen off of the property.
“I told my husband, ‘I don’t have a good feeling about this. I don’t think we are going to see Zeus again,’ and we just both started to cry,” Moore said.
The family posted pictures of their dog on Facebook, pleading for information on where he might be.
The next morning while headed into work Nick Kennedy spotted a dog in his company’s parking lot at 500 West 700 South in downtown Salt Lake City.
“We are amazed! It’s like a miracle that he came back!”
A family's dog stolen then abandoned in a different city. At 10:00, how social media reunited them @KSL5TV pic.twitter.com/vPmV5jvW57
— Ashley Moser (@AshleyMoser) April 22, 2021
“I heard howling in the distance,” he said. “We ended up bringing him inside because it was raining and he was wet.”
Kennedy said even though the dog was lost and confused, he seemed happy.
“I kind of called him half wolf, half ball. He was so big and round,” Kennedy said. “Everyone here loved him. It was a great distraction for about four hours.”
Employees at the company, Energy Management Corporation, took to social media to try and find its owner. They posted pictures of the dog on the Utah Lost and Found Pets Facebook page. Within a couple of hours, they were tipped off about a dog missing out of Park City, nearly 25 miles away. It was a match.
“I see the post and go, ‘Oh my God, that’s my dog, that’s my dog,’” Moore said. “I see somebody saying ‘Is this your dog?’ and it’s pictures of Zeus in different spots in the office.”
They were able to get in touch with the employees who took care of Zeus for the day and finally bring him home.
“We are amazed. It’s like a miracle that he came back,” Moore said.
The family said Zeus’ homecoming was only made possible by a vigilant and kind online community.
“Having a potential tragedy like this happen to us where it ends up with a happy ending, it makes us love this place even more,” Bryan Moore said.
