It was a seemingly ordinary day when Dyesa and her friend set out for a routine visit to the doctor’s office in Phoenix, Arizona. As they drove through the city, a heart-stirring sight outside a bustling grocery store caught their attention and brought their journey to a halt. Sitting alone in a shopping cart near the store’s entrance was a tiny puppy, his wide, worried eyes filled with uncertainty. The small dog, vulnerable and trembling, appeared to be waiting for help, sparking immediate concern in the compassionate duo.
The little pup’s big, worried eyes spoke volumes, and Dyesa couldn’t ignore his plight. She and her friend immediately parked the car and rushed over to check on the dog. As they approached, the puppy seemed to relax, sensing that these kind strangers meant no harm.
The pup, later named Herbert, had a charm that tugged at their heartstrings. His forlorn expression and quiet demeanor made them wonder how such a sweet dog could end up in this situation. Was he lost? Abandoned? Determined to find answers, the women spoke to the store employees to gather any clues about Herbert’s backstory.
To their dismay, the employees shared that the puppy had been sitting outside since the early hours of the morning—possibly as early as 5 a.m. No one had seen anyone leave him there, and there were no reports of anyone looking for a lost dog.
The more they learned, the clearer it became to Dyesa and her friend that Herbert might have been abandoned. Saddened by the thought, the two women decided they couldn’t leave him there alone. They immediately sprang into action, buying food for the hungry pup and wrapping him in a jacket to keep him warm against the cool Arizona air. Herbert, grateful for the care, eagerly gulped down his meal and cozied up in his makeshift blanket.
But their kindness didn’t stop there. Knowing they couldn’t take Herbert home themselves, Dyesa contacted Maricopa County Animal Care & Control, a local shelter equipped to care for stray animals. They assured her they would take good care of Herbert and try to locate his family—or find him a loving new home if no one came forward.
Before saying goodbye to the sweet pup, Dyesa captured his story in a short video and shared it on her TikTok account on November 21, 2024. She hoped the video would inspire someone to adopt Herbert or, at the very least, bring awareness to his situation.
The video quickly went viral, garnering thousands of views and touching the hearts of animal lovers everywhere. Viewers were heartbroken to see such a young dog left alone and angry at the thought that someone might have deliberately abandoned him. Many commented on how unfair it was that the store employees hadn’t intervened to help Herbert sooner.
For several days, the narrative seemed clear: Herbert was another tragic case of animal abandonment. But just as the story reached its peak, a surprising twist changed everything.
Five days after posting the original video, Dyesa returned to TikTok with an update. To everyone’s astonishment, Herbert hadn’t been abandoned at all.
“The dog ran out of the house, and the owner couldn’t locate him,” Dyesa explained in a comment.
The revelation shocked her followers. It was still unclear how Herbert, whose real name was Roy, ended up inside a shopping cart in the grocery store parking lot. However, what was clear was that his owner had been frantically searching for him since the day he disappeared.
Roy’s owner had called every local shelter, desperately hoping for news of his beloved pet. Unfortunately, because the shelter placed Roy on a three-day stray hold and hadn’t yet added him to their system, the owner’s inquiries turned up nothing.
Thankfully, fate intervened when a friend of the owner stumbled upon Dyesa’s viral TikTok video. Recognizing Roy instantly, they forwarded the video to his owner, who was overwhelmed with relief and joy.
Wasting no time, Roy’s owner rushed to the Phoenix shelter to reclaim his pup. By a stroke of luck, Dyesa happened to be visiting the shelter that same day to check on Herbert. She was there to witness the tearful reunion between the lost pup and his loving dad.
The moment Roy saw his owner, he could barely contain his excitement. His little tail wagged furiously as he jumped up and down, his face lit with a doggy smile that stretched from ear to ear. It was a heartwarming scene that left everyone present, including Dyesa, deeply moved.
But the joy didn’t end there. Once Roy was back home, he was greeted by another family member who had missed him just as much—his doggy brother. The two canine siblings were ecstatic to be reunited, playing and wagging their tails nonstop.
A children's doctor had been evicted and had left items behind when she left. Among them was something alarming: a plastic storage bin, where a dog had been locked inside. If someone is this cruel to a small, defenseless dog, how can they continue to treat children as a doctor?
Roy’s owner couldn’t thank Dyesa enough for her kindness and her quick thinking in sharing his story online. Without her video, the heartwarming reunion might never have happened.
This touching story serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of kindness, community, and the role social media can play in reuniting families. Dyesa’s small act of compassion set off a chain of events that ultimately brought a lost pup back to his loving home, proving that sometimes, even the simplest gestures can lead to extraordinary outcomes.
Toledo, United States.
