Justin Scott is an EMT who works in Los Angeles, California. To say EMTs have a difficult and trying job is an understatement. They work long hours, saving the lives of people who have been in horrible accidents.
No call is ever easy, but one of them turned Justin’s world upside down. He was called to the scene of a car accident, only to realize that the victim was one of his best friends. He wound up passing away, and Justin’s life was never the same.
His wife Sara, who is also an EMT, worked opposite schedules of him. When she was at work and their kids were at school, Justin was home alone with his thoughts, which wasn’t such a great idea considering how depressed he was.
Justin decided to visit his local shelter and adopt a pup to be his therapy dog. He figured the companionship would help him get through each day a little easier.
He looked at his new dog, Shelby, and said “I saved you and now I need you to save me,” and that’s exactly what she did. Justin wrote on Facebook that Shelby “pulled him out of the grips of hell.”
But Justin was living a nightmare all over again when Shelby went missing in the woods on July 4th while they were camping. Shelby got startled by a noise and ran off into the woods. Justin and his family looked all day and night for her, but to no avail.
Eventually, they were forced to go home without their beloved pet, and were absolutely heartbroken.
But Justin would do anything to find his therapy dog. Shelby had helped him so much since he adopted her, and now it was his turn to help her.
Justin got in touch with Babs Fry, founder of A Way Home For Animals, and told her about Shelby. Fry’s organization helps people find their missing pets.
Fry drove nearly ten hours to the campground to put out traps. It turns out that Shelby returned to the area where she last saw her family, but kept leaving because of the bears that were messing with the traps.
Fry explained that lost dogs usually always return to look for their owners. If your dog goes missing somewhere, her advice is to stay put rather than spread your scent looking for them and to “wait quietly for them to decompress and come back.” She also says it’s a good idea to leave items with your scent on them so they’ll keep coming back to look for you.
Eventually, Fry was able to lure Shelby into one of the traps one night with food. 28 days later, Shelby was finally safe!
Fry brought Shelby back to her rescue, where Shelby’s family was waiting for her. Their reunion is so heartwarming! Once Shelby realized that her family was there, she couldn’t stop wagging her tail. Then she rolled over near her dad for some belly rubs.
They brought Shelby to the vet and she is doing great. She is now safe at home and so relieved to be back with her loving family!
Watch their tearful reunion in the video below:
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