ATLANTA — A viral social media search for an Atlanta woman's missing dog, Hazel, has come to a heartwarming conclusion.
Hannah Riley sparked an entire community of internet sleuths and those in metro Atlanta to help find her little 10-year-old pup Hazel after she says the emergency animal hospital she was staying at while she was on vacation lost her dog on March 17.
According to Riley, Hazel was walked outside of the animal hospital without her leash or collar and with a catheter in her leg. After being taken outside, Riley said she ran away and went missing for several days.
After posting countless updates on her X account, Riley received thousands of likes and retweets to help spread awareness about her missing dog. At one point, she said she learned about a man who she later spoke to who had found her dog but that he had accidentally given her to the wrong people, not knowing that Hazel was her missing dog.
Some people even created TikToks to help get the word out about Hazel.
Riley's friend decided to create an online fundraiser for her to raise $10,000 for advertisement revenue to help further let as many people know about Hazel's disappearance. Riley's friend said, "There are no words to describe how distraught Hannah is."
The online fundraiser hit its goal in just one day. Riley said she tried to advertise on Facebook and Nextdoor, but they sparked fraud alerts on her credit card. Despite that, she said she still bought a billboard advertisement that she will use for another lost dog in Decatur and donate any remaining funds to the Atlanta Humane Society—where she got Hazel originally.
On Friday, Riley received the best news she could have possibly heard after a stressful and insomnolent week searching for her beloved furry friend.
She posted a screenshot of a text she had received that read: "Hi Hannah! This is (name redacted). I left you a voicemail but I believe I've found your missing pup. Here are some pics. She has no collar and has a spot on her leg where it looks like the vet shaved hair. I'm pretty confident this is your dog :)"
The person first sent a text message that included a photo of Hazel.
Riley said the woman who found Hazel lives in Decatur and opened her front door to Hazel on her porch. She thought it was a neighbor's dog but let Hazel come inside, Riley said.
After nearly a week, Riley was reunited with Hazel, thanks to the help of a community that rallied around her in a time of need. She was found about a mile and a half from the animal hospital where she was allegedly lost.
"WHO KNOWS how Hazel did this. She’s been to a vet and checked out. Aside from scrapes and cuts and some issues w back legs, she’s just exhausted and in pain," Riley said on social media.
During the middle of the search, Riley took time to thank people for being selfless and helping.
"I can’t express enough how moved I am by all this support and help. The world can be ugly but god it’s mostly full of incredibly generous kind people who want to step up in a crisis. If we find Hazel its 100% because of the internet/ y’all."
