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7-Year-Old’s Lost Therapy Dog Found Safe Thanks To Kind Community

Written by: Molly Weinfurter
Molly Weinfurter is a writer for iHeartDogs, and she’s passionate about helping animals in need. She volunteers for Bailing Out Benji and a local dog rescue.Read more
| Published on July 1, 2020

7-year-old Liam and his therapy dog named Sully are inseparable. Liam is a pediatric brain tumor patient, so Sully helps comfort him during hospital visits. The 1-year-old Bernadoodle always lays beside Liam to help calm his anxiety.

When Sully went missing, Liam and his family were heartbroken. They feared that their poor pup wouldn’t be able to survive on his own for long. Laura Holland, Liam’s mom, shared posts about Sully’s disappearance, and she quickly found a group of kind community members who were willing to help.

The Search for Sully

Sully got loose after being dropped off at a groomer in Wesley Chapel, Florida. From there, he disappeared into a wooded area. Holland was terrified because she knew how dangerous the woods in Florida could be. She quickly turned to social media for help.

Bernadoodle in living room
Image: Laura Holland Facebook

Holland shared as much information about Sully as possible. To her surprise, dozens of community members reached out to help her with the search. She also worked with professional trappers to help her catch the pup. The family even used urine to help lead Sully back home, which was surprisingly helpful.

When Sully smelled the urine, he returned to the same spot where he had run off. Unfortunately, that didn’t last long though. He disappeared again after someone tried to grab him. Holland thought for sure that the pup was gone yet again.

However, a driver who was passing by was able to stop and capture the pup. When the man walked back toward Holland with Sully in his arms, she said it was like straight out of a movie. She was overjoyed by the sudden happy ending.

Family Hugging Bernadoodle
Image: Laura Holland Facebook

Sully’s Home!

When Sully saw his family, he was ecstatic. He couldn’t seem to sit still, but Holland tried her best to calm him down. Of course, no one was happier about Sully’s return than sweet little Liam.

“This wonderful dog has pulled Liam out of his shell and turned him around completely,” said Holland. “We can’t believe it.”

Image: Laura Holland Facebook

For the most part, Sully is healthy. He had to be taken to the vet for severe dehydration, and his paws were also burned, but he’s doing much better now. Currently, his family is just helping him get comfortable at home again while he recovers from his scary adventure. Luckily, he finally got a well-deserved haircut too. He was especially filthy when he came home, so his hair had to be shaved down.

Holland cannot seem to thank Sully’s rescuers enough. She is so grateful for all the people that were willing to help. Holland even started a GoFundMe to properly thank the man who retrieved Sully in the end. Now, Liam and Sully can go back to being inseparable.

https://www.facebook.com/jerry.richardson1/videos/10220295497630575/

H/T: fox13news.com
Featured Image: Laura Holland Facebook

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