We’ve been reporting stories of dogs who have been lost for years and then found, many dogs get lost and are found hundreds of miles away from their homes, but this is the first time a Good Samaritan located thousands of miles away helps find a lost dog found half a mile away from its home.
This past November, a dog named Bryce from Highland Park, Ill., got out of his house and chased a truck. While on his fast-speed adventure, Bryce was hit by a car and injured. The large breed dog broke a leg and limped off in fear. Bryce disappearing from his comfort zone.
Bryce’s owner, Amy Silverman, grew worried when she couldn’t find her pet. She searched the area but Bryce was nowhere to be found. Desperate, Silverman turned to social media in the hopes that her local online community could reunite her with her pet. Little did she know that a woman 4,600 miles away – in Poland – would be the one contacting her, letting her know Bryce’s whereabouts.
“I came home,” Silverman told CBS 2 Chicago, “and immediately went to Facebook and said, ‘Social media I need your help. We lost our dog. Here’s a picture of him.'”
The flier Silverman posted on Facebook included her phone number and for two days after making the post, the worried pet owner did not get any leads.
On the third day, two young girls from Deerfield, Ill., were out playing in their grandfather’s, Zbigniew Cianciara, backyard.
The girls saw a hungry, hurt, and tired dog and immediately told their grandfather. Cianciara was on a long distance phone call with his daughter, Eva Banka, in Poland. When he told Banka about the dog, Banka said she knew the dog.
“She said, ‘Oh my God I just saw a black dog on my Facebook, that the dog was actually missing in Highland Park, and I’m going to call the lady,'” recalled Cianciara.
Right away, Banka called Silverman and informed the pet owner Bryce had been found.
“I got a call from and woman and she said, ‘Is this Amy?’ I said yes,” recalled Silverman. “[The woman] said, ‘My name is Eva. I’m calling from Poland and I found your dog.'”
Deerfield, Ill., is only half a mile away from Highland Park, but it is incredible that through the magic of social media, a woman who was 4,600 miles away made the reunion possible.
Once reunited, Bryce was taken to the veterinarian for surgery. He will wear a metal brace for 12 weeks, but he will make a full recovery.
