Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/missing-boston-terrier-found-after-290-days/

While enjoying a vacation in Ocean City, MD, one family experienced any pet parents’ worst nightmare: Their beloved dog went missing.

The Battistas were hours from their home in New York City to enjoy the 4th of July, when their 2-year-old Boston terrier, Fisher, went missing.

They were naturally quite worried and began searching everywhere they could.

They shared in their GoFundMe that they immediately “alerted Ocean City police, fire, beach patrol, postal service, Scopes, lifeguards – you name it!” They also posted his photos all over on fliers and even got his face on a local billboard.

Unwilling to leave their pup and return home, the Battistas extended their stay in Ocean City and began raising money to support their search efforts. As the days passed, they refused to give up hope. But, days turned to weeks, and eventually, they realized they’d have to return home empty-handed and broken-hearted.

Even though they had to return home, the family refused to give up hope and continued to search for Fisher.

They hired a dog tracker and set up a Find Fisher Facebook page, which quickly gained over 9,000 members.

Despite their efforts and media attention, Fisher seemed nowhere to be found.

Thankfully, as weeks turned to months, the Battistas continued to press their case across social media and refused to give up on finding their dog.

Finally, 290 days after Fisher disappeared, Elissa Battista was on Facebook when she saw a familiar face under a post about a “found dog.” It was Fisher!

According to Delaware Online, Wayne Horn was outside working on his motorcycle when he spotted a small dog in the road.

“I called him over because cars speed up and down my road, He came over to me, so we gave him water. He laid down and was content, he didn’t want to leave,” Horn explained.

His friend posted a photo of the pooch on Facebook, and they instantly got comments of “That’s Fisher!”

Elissa shared on Facebook that she immediately recognized Fisher and knew it was him. She said, “From the moment I saw the photos I knew it was him from the markings and his little tongue sticking out.”

Thankfully, Fisher’s identity was officially confirmed quickly with a microchip scan, and the Battistas made the five-hour drive to pick him up. Despite being unaccounted for for months, Fisher was in excellent health.

The family is beyond grateful to have Fisher home where he belongs. As you can imagine, they had quite an emotional reunion with their sweet dog. Horn shared a video of the reunion on Facebook so you can watch it below:

The family updated their Facebook group that was dedicated to finding Fisher to helping other pet parents find their missing animals.

They hope their story can serve as a source of hope for other pet parents going through a similar loss. Even after so much time has passed, it’s never too late to be reunited with a pet.

Elissa said it best when she posted on Facebook: “Please never give up hope if you’re in a similar situation.”

Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog