The photo of a tearful man touching his impounded dog through the bars of the San Bernardino, Calif., city animal control was powerful.
Add in the conversation overheard by a woman who happened to be at the facility on the same morning - the woman who decided that she needed to reunite the separated pair - and you have the makings of a touching story that would move thousands to action.
Since the story hit the internet on Sunday evening, over ten thousand people went to work, networking the photo and hoping against hope that the man in the picture could be identified.
Today, the man has been identified, and at 10 a.m. Tuesday morning, he is due to be back inside of this animal control facility to claim his dog, who we now know is named "Buzz."
Buzz belongs to Dave Thomas, a man who had no idea that he and his dog would make such an impact on much of the nation.
Thomas' dog was impounded by the police on Feb. 13, the day that he was taken to jail for failing to appear in court for traffic violations.
When he was released from jail, Thomas went to get Buzz, but did not have the funds for his dog's release. It was at that time that the photographer, Maria, captured the touching moment and overheard what was happening.
When Thomas left the animal control, Maria went to work to try to raise the money necessary for the dog to be released, and neutered, so that he could be back with his owner.
The problem was a lack of information. The dog's owner had departed the facility without leaving his name or contact information.
Between the heavy internet networking and Maria's on-the-ground efforts to search every street in San Bernardino, the man was finally identified and located on Monday night.
According to the local San Bernardino KABC News, Maria and Dave will meet at the facility in just a few, short hours to make Buzz's release official.
Maria updated those following this story late Monday night with the following:
He is so grateful for everyone coming together to help him out. I will be meeting him tomorrow at 10am when the shelter opens. I will post an update tomorrow.
Buzz will have to go to the vet to be neutered Wednesday, but he will be home with Dave by Wednesday night!
Read the prior story at this link.
Note: Since this story was originally published on Sunday night, I have been inundated with emails from concerned readers. It has been truly touching to see the outpouring of support from complete strangers.
Continue reading: Dog still alive after being shot in the head, a miracle?
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I am human, if you see a typo, please let me know. Questions, comments or story ideas can be emailed to Eims1@live.com.
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