Virginia community rallies to reunite Canadian truck driver with lost dog
Samuel Bissonnette and Denver. (Credit: Samuel Bissonnette)
BLACKSBURG, Va. - A Canadian truck driver is thanking a Virginia community for coming together and helping to find his lost dog, who disappeared at a rest stop.
Samuel Bissonnette, 33, said he was en route from Georgia to Canada when he made a pit stop near Blacksburg, Virginia. He planned to ride his bike and let his two Belgian shepherds, Denver and Dallas, also run around.
However, Denver took off.
"Denver saw a deer, and he started chasing him. And that was the last time I saw him," Bissonnette told FOX Television Stations.
RELATED: Exceptionally rare 5-legged puppy wows Wisconsin shelter: 'Never seen anything like this'
Bissonnette said he spent hours looking for his dog before making the tough decision to continue on his route. He even launched a Facebook page in hopes of someone in the area finding his dog.
Several people reported seeing his dog. Bissonnette was even told that his dog was hit by a car before the dog took off again.
Bissonette said for two weeks he periodically revisited the Brush Mountain area where he lost his dog.
One day, he came back to the spot and started to grill food for his dog, hoping the smell would attract him.
The tactic worked and Denver showed up but ran off again. But then Denver returned for good.
RELATED: Cat shipped in Amazon box from Utah to California
"The driver's door was open," he said. "I was in a truck, and I heard something come in through the woods, and he circled the truck, and he jumped right into the truck, and I was so excited. I was shaking."
Bissonette kept his dog home in Canada for a few days while he recovered. He now has Denver back on the road with him.
Bissonette also wants to thank the local community for pitching in and helping to find his dog.
"The people were so amazing. I got so many devoted people who were looking," he added. "I couldn't believe how good those people are."
This story was reported from Los Angeles.