Like most service dog owners, Jimmy Nicholos treats his dog Boots like his own child. The two are always together and are there for each other. Nicholos is going through homelessness at the moment, and his service dog is helping him get by.
On New Year’s Eve, Nicholos’s worst nightmare happened. Boots went missing’, and he had no idea how to find him. Luckily, his colleagues at START Rescue Resale Store were there to extend their help to him.
START is a thrift shop outside of L.A., which also funds pet rescue adoptions. And even if Nicholos was only a part-time worker at START, this did not stop his colleagues from completely giving their help in finding Boots. The owner of the shop, Renee Ruston, also knew how much the dog meant to Nicholos. So, she initiated a search team to locate the dog.
The only lead that the team had was the woman who came to get Boots. The woman offered to groom the pup for free. She already did this before, so Nicholos trusted her. The woman got Boots, but she later returned to tell Nicholos that Boots ran away from her at the park.
Nicholos and his colleagues found her story to be suspicious. Because, why would she bring Boots to the park when she ought to groom him? Also, the woman stopped communicating with them a day after Boots’ disappearance.
Ruston and Nicholos filed a missing report case at their local police department. STARTs volunteers and employees also spread the word about finding the pup. They even hired a private investigator and offered a $10000 reward to whoever can return the Boots.
Nicholos’s colleagues gave their utmost support, and they did not stop until they found his best friend. With their efforts, Boots’ story reached a local network that broadcasted it. Within an hour from the broadcast, they finally received a call from someone who claimed to have Boots.
After 12 days of searching, Nicholos and Boots finally reunited. Everyone was in tears as they witnessed the heart-melting reunion of the best friends. If only Boots could talk, he would thank Nicholos’s colleagues for all the help they extended to locate him.
Photo credits to Fox 11 and to START Rescue.