Edward Casas and his wife, Kristen, are feeling extremely relieved to have their precious pup back after quite a stressful ordeal at the end of August.The couple was out on their boat on Lake Michigan, leaving from Frankfort harbour, when they encountered a mechanicalproblem on the boat a few miles in. Kristin went out onto the deck while her husband stayed in the cabin with Rylee, their 10-month-old Belgian Malinois. She told ABC News:
In retrospect I remember her coming out here to see where I was going and my poor assumption was that she would go back in the cabin with her dad.
Source: ABC News
The pup must've fallen overboard while the couple was occupied with the steering and fixing the mechanical problem. When they realised, they immediately did a mayday call and had all the fishermen and other boats in the surrounding area looking.One of the fishermen who heard the message called his wife, Lynn Fiedor, at their home. Fiedor runs the Lost Dog Search Teamthat tracks down lost pets through the use of social media.Her post about Rylee had 20 000 views and finally a boatercommented that they had seen the pup off Empire shore. They took her back to the beach, assuming that was where she'd come from.The following morning, a call came in saying Rylee had been spotted in Platte River campground. The couple drove to the grounds and used a technique advised by Fiedor - they played with Rylee's toys and lay down on the ground.With her humans' scent and the sound of her toys, Rylee came joyfully bounding out of the bushes nearby! She had literally swam over 6 miles and walked over 12 miles to get back home.
Source: ABC News
The couple is extremely grateful for everyone who helped, especially because Rylee is actually their beloved son's pet, but they look after her while he is away at college.
Source: ABC News
It shows how powerful social media can be in spreading the message and tracking down lost pets. There can always be a happy ending if everyone helps.
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