Emotional Support Dog Reunited with Family

Sadly, shelter staff find animals abandoned on the property from time to time, left to fend for themselves until help arrives. However, this time was different.

Shelter staff happened upon a small dog left tied to one of the shelter’s doors with nothing but a piece of paper that contained a name and phone number. After calling the number, the shelter staff could not believe who picked up.

The number belonged to a police officer in Oregon who had been working on a case regarding a stolen dog named Frosty, an emotional support dog for a family in Salem, Oregon. The dog had been stolen two weeks prior from their property and had been missing ever since.

Frosty’s owners had been searching for weeks for the stolen dog. The daughter put flyers up in hopes that someone would know where he was. Until one day, they received a call that Frosty had finally been found.

“I saw this little dog tied up outside with a harness that said ‘emotional support animal’ and a handwritten note,” said Jessica Emel, Humane Society for Tacoma & Pierce County staff member. “The dog wasn’t microchipped so I’m happy we were able to connect with the police officer to get this little guy back home.”  

Frosty was reunited with his family at the Salem police station.

“We couldn’t believe that he ended up all the way in Washington. Thank you to [the Humane Society for Tacoma and Pierce County] for taking care of Frosty and calling the officer. We’re glad to have Frosty back with us.” – Bryan Sy, one of Frosty’s owners

In 2020, the Humane Society for Tacoma & Pierce County helped reunite over 1,300 lost pets with their families.

Lost or found a pet? Be sure to check out our lost and found website.