FITNESS TRAINER RETURNS TO HIS TRUCK ONLY TO FIND OUT HIS PIT BULL WAS TAKEN AWAY, A YEAR LATER HE RECEIVES A WEIRD TEXT
Having pets is a whole different experience. Families that own a pet have a completely different routine than those who don’t. Things like hourly cuddles, regular meals, daily walks, weekly baths, monthly appointments, and yearly vaccinations. Once they enter our homes they also enter our lives. They become inseparable part of their owner’s life who treat them like a baby or a buddy.
An owner who loved his pooch the most couldn’t help but regret being less attentive towards his pet. The guilt was just too much to take and he was devastated by the thought of his loving furry friend was now held captive to some stranger who stole it.
A Fitness Freak
Barry Gearhart, a certified BodyPump Instructor is a Group Exercise Instructor at 24 Hour Fitness – Boynton Beach Shaq, Florida. Anyone could say from his outer appearances that he is a strong man with a perfect built. However, he is a very emotional person when it comes to his family and friends. Barry resides with his family in West Palm Beach, Florida but his life took a sweet turn when he welcomed a furry friend to his home.
Bundles Of Joy
Barry has been an animal lover since childhood. When he adopted a just born pit bull, it filled an empty corner of his heart and made him feel more alive than ever before. He named the little one Titan who became Barry’s best buddy, his partner in crimes. Barry solely took all his responsibilities, be it anything. With Titan in his life, Barry had no free time left to overthink about anything at all.
Grown Up Pooch
Soon, Titan, the pup grew up and he used to accompany Barry to most of the places. Sometimes At times, Barry even took Titan to his workplace to meet people for a change. Titan was so close to Barry that it seemed impossible to separate the two. But life is all about the inevitable and with time everything that was going smoothly was going to turn into a big time struggle.
8 Years Of Togetherness
Our pets grow more and more comfortable with us as time passes and after one stage it becomes unbearable for the poor ones to be separated from their owners. For eight years, Titan stayed by his hooman’s side. Barry was aware of all his pet’s habits and needs. Titan who couldn’t even sleep away from Barry will be taken away from his hooman.
Pooch’s Demands
Eight years built an amazing bond between the two of them and Titan meant the world for Barry. Every time Barry unlocked his car, Titan has to be the first one to get inside. Titan was fond of rides and used to get excited whenever he saw a car. So, for the eight-year-old pooch, a car meant fun and that was his right that Barry never even thought to take away from him.
Unfortunate Day
It was early morning and Barry was in hurry to grab a few things from the nearest grocery store. His daughter was off to school and Titan was not in a habit of staying home alone. And just like always as soon as Barry picked up the car keys, Titan was all set to hop in. Unlike before, this day Barry will return home alone with his worst nightmare turning into reality.
Leaving Him Behind
So, Barry drove to the grocery store Titan enjoyed the ride sitting on the front seat next to him. He parked the car and asked Titan to be a good boy by the time he returns and he’ll be back soon. Barry wasn’t doing anything new, he has left Titan in the car many times before also. Even Titan was used to it. But was it the right thing to do?
Dogs In Car
If it is about leaving a dog in a closed car, that’s bad! Even if the guardian is running errands, pets should not be left alone in cars as it can cause the dog’s life within 10 minutes depending on the temperature. Don’t take any risk on your little bundle of joy!
That day, weather was cool and Barry always left a window open for his Titan. As the guard was sitting outside the parking area, it didn’t seem dangerous at all to leave him there.
Gone Forever
When Barry returned to his car, Titan wasn’t in the front seat waiting for him. He didn’t freak out and looked in the back seats but the dog wasn’t there. How could he not be there? After all, it wasn’t the first time. Barry grew worried and started asking people nearby him if they saw a pit bull. Sadly, nobody knew anything.
Noticed Someone To Question
When nobody around him helped him, Barry grew anxious. Just the thought of his best buddy looking for him broke his heart. Barry was quite confident that Titan will not walk away just like that as it has never been in his nature. That’s when he noticed someone who must know something about his pooch for sure.
The Guard
Barry noticed a guard room outside the parking area and ran to ask him if he knew anything. If he had seen his pit bull. He was hoping to find something that will lead him to his Titan. The day was not at all in his favor because even the guard was on lunch break. Barry couldn’t think of his bestie to be roaming on the streets all by himself.
Long Wait
Those twenty minutes of wait for the guard looked like the longest to Barry. He took out his phone and started asking anyone who was passing by. With every growing second Barry was losing patience but what more could he have done at that moment?
No Microchip
Usually, people use microchip on their pets so if in case they go missing, the owners could track them. In this case, there was no microchip on Titan. Barry thought that how they were just talking a week back to buy one for his Titan too.
Lunchtime Over
Barry waited there for the guard to return, after all, how could he leave even a single chance or the mere possibility of someone knowing where Titan was. When the guard returned, he did have something to tell. However, this piece of information was only going to make things worse.
Stranger Walked In
The guard told Barry that moments after he parked his car, a person walked in. After 5 minutes he was gone with a grey fur pit bull. The guard wasn’t sure if saw him walking in with a dog but he was certain that when he walked out of the parking area, there was a pit bull with him. Now to clear this doubt Barry showed him a picture of Titan.
Ever Seen Him?
Barry asked the guard about this man, unfortunately, the guard never saw this man before. According to him, he didn’t even go inside the grocery store as if he wasn’t there to buy anything but for some other purpose. Barry couldn’t take this anymore and so he showed him his phone.
Holding His Breath
Barry was scared yet showed Titan’s photo to the guard who immediately said that it was the same dog that walked out with someone else a while ago. This broke Barry’s heart. His dog was kidnapped and he didn’t know what to do next.
Who Was He?
Barry had no clue about why would anyone take his Titan away from him. Titan wasn’t a pup but an eight-year-old dog who could think of kidnapping him and for what reason? Certainly, the man’s intentions weren’t good and thought of his pet being in pain was horrifying for Barry.
All Hoomans Are Good Hoomans
Well, this is the case with most of the dogs. They get friendly very easily, especially, when untrained. Barry never felt a need of training for Titan but now he knew what a big mistake he has made. Titan used to get friendly with anyone and everyone very easily and probably this was the reason that man was able to take him.
Empty Handed
That day Barry returned home without Titan. What actually happened? The pooch was with him for over 8 years and he never ran around to go missing. Well, that’s true but to everyone’s shock, the pooch was not lost but taken away. Someone took him. Titan couldn’t go without barry, he was the only one knowing all his needs and requirements.
A Tragedy
Barry Gearhart who seemed to be a tough man fell weak after his dog was gone. He knew that Titan was in danger and Barry was ready to do all it will take to find him. But finding a kidnapped dog seems a next to impossible thing and that’s what Barry’s friends tried to explain him.
A Horrified Owner
While Barry’s friends were trying to explain to him that there is no way that he’ll see Titan again, his daughter stayed next to him. She was giving him ways to get to Titan but there was no news of the poor dog. Barry’s guilt was burdening him more and more with every day.
It Was Quiet
“The worst day of my life had occurred. I looked in the truck. It was empty. It was quiet,” remembered Barry of the fateful day in an interview. He was blaming himself for losing his buddy. And there was no way that he’ll give up the search for his dog.
Have You Seen This Dog?
Barry posted Titan’s photos online on Facebook and Twitter in hope of getting any information about his Titan’s whereabouts. Months passed away but no sign of Titan was ever seen. People showed sympathy but there was no help about the lost dog. Slowly, Barry’s daughter also started losing hopes for Titan’s return.
Never Giving Up
“I cried every day for a year for this dog, I promise you,” Barry recalled of the days without his dog. He was sharing fliers everywhere in the town. Sharing photos of Titan became a part of his daily routine. He even visited several animal shelter homes but only got home with disappointment.
A Similar Dog
One fine day, Barry got a comment on one of his posts he shared on a lost-and-found pets pages. It was not a sympathetic comment but one that showed barry a way out of his unending miseries. The person mentioned that they have seen a similar dog.
His Name Is Hank
This person also mentioned that the dog he thought looks similar to Titan was called Hank. He added in his comment the name of the shelter where he saw him and that was it. barry has to go and check even if the dog was named Hank, he thought to go and see him with his own eyes.
It’s Titan!
Barry rushed to the animal shelter and explained the whole thing to the caretakers. He said that he wanted to see the dog named Hank. When one of the caretakers was taking him to the dog’s shelter, Barry turned on his phone’s camera to record what was going to happen next. The person told him how Hank has been there for weeks and no one showed interest in adopting the old dog.
Scheduled For Euthanasia
But the moment barry saw him, he knew it was Titan. The staff was going to end the hard times for the old dog by euthanizing within the next couple of days. As there was less space in the shelter and people rarely ever adopt an old dog when they are actually looking for pups. Titan’s reaction after seeing his owner was so emotional…
Hey, Boy
The moment Barry called Titan’s name and said, “Hey, boy.” The pooch’s tail started wagging out of excitement. He started barking and was moving around and round desperate to get out of the place and hug his hooman. What happened, later on, was even more magical.
Right On Time
Barry recorded a video and said, “Look who turned up.” When he turned around the camera, it was Titan and all the people who were aking barry to give up were now aware of their mistake. Even Titan’s eyes were teary and Barry knew it was time to take his buddy home. Titan has been through some rough months and he deserved to live his normal life once again.
A Miracle
“It really is a miracle,” recalled Barry who realized how his pooch would have not been alive if it wasn’t for the person who informed Barry about him. The Animal Care and Control found Titan as a stray wandering on the roads, the person who stole him abandoned the poor dog.
Home, At Last
Once he reached home, Titan looked around all his home and sniffer throughout the backyard. Even after staying away from his home Titan was still the same dog and had the same habits as he always had. No one knew what went on with him during that one year of time. But this time Barry did what was necessary.
Microchip On Titan
Now that Barry knew the importance of microchip more than ever, he decided to get one for his buddy. Barry understood that he was lucky to find Titan and he couldn’t forgive himself ever if anything wrong happens to the dog as Titan was solely his responsibility.
An Old Pooch
Barry’s efforts finally paid off and Titan was able to live the rest of his life peacefully at home. Titan lived two more years with Barry before he died at the age of 11. But this time Barry was happy for his old dog and prayed for him to rest in peace.
Goodbye, Old Friend
In November 2017, Titan passed away and Barry posted on his Facebook page, “Titan has passed. He has been my ride or die, sidekick, and best friend – simply put, one of the best parts of my life.” For 10 years, Titan gave Barry company.
Hard To Lose A Family Member
“Those of you that have dogs or cats as family members know how hard this is,” said Barry. He was glad that his dog lived happily in his last days and died peacefully. With Titan gone, there’s one chapter of Barry’s life that was closed forever.
A Good Friend
“Thank you for always being there for me in my time of need,” wrote Barry. “I’m gonna miss you so much. R.I.P. bud, you’re out of pain and so much better off. I love you and I’ll never forget you,” wrote the disheartened owner on his Facebook page.
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