A Dog Was Stolen And Later Discovered 2,000 Miles Away – An Unlikely Friend Saved The Day

They say pets are like family, and that’s exactly how Cassandra Rasmussen and her daughters felt about their beloved pit bull. Unfortunately, one day their furry friend went missing.

Cassandra is a devoted mother who has always done her best to put food on the table, but with an an outside job, the mother of two wasn’t always home. In October 2019, she had to leave for work.

Staley let the station know that Cassandra was the victim of a robbery. One of her friends made away with most of her property while she was at work, and sadly, Zeus was one of them.

After following all the necessary procedures to locate her unruly friend, Cassandra’s family was forced to wait anxiously for updates. The investigation was slow, making the family increasingly anxious. 

The officers delivered Zeus to an animal shelter to keep him safe, and while it seemed a happy ending was close, there was a catch – the dog was in Nitro, West Virginia, around 2,000 miles away from Butte, Calif., Cassandra’s home.

When she got wind of Zeus’s location, Cassandra immediately began working out a plan to get him home. He was so far away that it would be very expensive to get him back.

Luck was on Cassandra’s side as Zeus was in a safe shelter. The Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association were empathetic with Cassandra’s plight; they wanted to find a way to reunite the canine with his owner.

Thanks to Zeus’s microchip, the shelter pinpointed the dog’s home address quickly and set up a video call. Cassandra had to identify her dog so they didn’t send another pooch 2,000 miles in the wrong direction.

According to Julie Hypes, an animal behavioral expert, Zeus got super excited immediately after the call. Previously, the dog was primarily calm and collected, but now he was doing these twirls the staff hadn’t seen before.

A flight would have been the best way to transport. However, pit bulls were barred from taking commercial flights at the time. On top of that, Cassandra was busy with work and couldn’t drive the whole way. 

Many Paws Volunteer Transport are a team dedicated to providing secure transportation for pets to their homes. Their online profile has countless stories of their journeys and the details regarding their mission and vision. 

The organization took the matter seriously and wasted no time finding 15 volunteers to drive the pit bull home. They worked like a relay team passing on the dog after covering some distance. 

The shelter posted an announcement on its social media page asking for funds from its followers. The goal was to make the trip by Christmas so Zeus could spend the holidays with his family. 

Many Paws was not going to dilly-dally with Zeus. They wanted the trip to take a maximum of four days since Christmas was just around the corner, so Zeus was loaded onto the back of the first car with incredible speed.

Everyone had their fingers crossed when the trip started since the team feared possible road obstacles. A tiny hiccup could throw things off by a few days, meaning Zeus wouldn’t make it home in time.

The updates were quite enjoyable since Zeus meshed well with all the drivers. The dog even made a few friends along the way. He was a good dog, and his family had missed him dearly.

Considering how everything had turned out, Cassandra couldn’t hide her awe and excitement. The dog’s owner told Boston.com she was super proud of how everything unfolded. She was seeing the kinder side of humanity, and she loved it.

At some point, Zeus needed to use the bathroom, forcing one volunteer to pull over. It was one of the cuter moments of the trip captured on camera, but nothing beat the Livestream of the handoff process.

By day four, Zeus was a few miles closer to home. The team had made it to Laramie, Wyoming, and according to the Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association, Zeus would make it home by nightfall.

Zeus was only a few hours from home, and everyone was excitedly waiting for the big moment. Cassandra and her daughter were counting down the hours, hoping the clock would run down. 

Cassandra’s family wasn’t the only group waiting for Zeus – the public had been following up on the regular updates, too. ABC FOX Montana dispatched a reporter to cover the story and capture the big moment.

After a grueling few weeks, Zeus was finally making it home. Cassandra had suffered a lot, and it was time for some smiles. Despite losing some of her possessions, at least her dog was coming back to her. 

The van pulled up off the main road; the girls quickly opened the doors to see a tail-wagging Zeus. He was beyond excited as he had spent almost two months away from home. 

The girls smothered Zeus with more than enough hugs and kisses to last him a lifetime – the dog was loved by his family, and it was obvious to everyone. 

In an interview with WOWK 13 News, Cassandra expressed her gratitude to everyone who had come through for her family. She was glad her dog was home and everything had worked out.