Stuffed dog finds his way home thanks to Facebook, Twitter and a Toronto cop

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When Toronto police Staff Sgt. Chris Boddy saw a plush stuffed animal abandoned on the floor at Toronto Pearson International Airport, he immediately thought of his kids.

?Having kids myself, and being a kid once, you know how important these little things can be,? Boddy said, describing how he found the toy in the arrivals area last month while welcoming home officers who had been on a peacekeeping mission to Haiti.

?I assumed it was important to this little kid if they were going to take it away on a family trip,? he said. ?I just assumed that in the rush to leave the airport, put the bags in the cars, it was left behind.

So Boddy, who garnered Twitter fame earlier this month after TV-personality Katie Couric retweeted one of his posts about loneliness in schools, decided to use social media to find the toy?s owner.

He posed the stuffed animal in a luggage cart, snapped a picture and then published the image via Twitter and Facebook. Boddy then gave the plushy to the airport?s lost and found.

The picture ?was retweeted about 250 times and shared on Facebook nearly 370 times,? said Boddy, who used the hashtag #findmyowner.

The very next day, Boddy said, he received a Facebook message from a friend who had found the owner: a little boy named Caeden, 5.

Caeden?s father had been chatting with Boddy?s friend at a party the night before, and mentioned his son was sad after losing his stuffed dog, Hardy.

Boddy?s friend immediately showed Caeden?s father the #findmyowner campaign.

?They contacted the airport, which (shipped Hardy) to them,? Boddy said. ?I am glad the boy has his dog back using social media ? it?s a powerful tool.?

Caeden?s mom, Alisha, later reached out to Boddy through email.

?Although it may be difficult for Caeden to fully understand how truly lucky we are to have Hardy back, as he doesn?t understand the enormity of the Toronto airport, nor does he understand that some people might not actually care enough to bring him to the lost and found. (But) we will never forget your kindness and will be sure to remind Caeden of the story often so that one day he will fully understand and appreciate your kind act!? she wrote.

Hardy was apparently named after a real golden retriever, and, besides his BoundHomewardBound experience, has rarely left Caeden?s side since he was received as a gift three years ago.

Source: http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/09/23/stuffed_dog_finds_his_way_home_thanks_to_facebook_twitter_and_a_toronto_cop.html

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