“[She] wouldn’t leave her side” 🥹

Earlier this week, a Facebook user named Connor Bailey posted an urgent plea on a local Facebook group for lost and found pets. He’d found a black dog lying injured on the side of a busy highway in St. Louis, Missouri — and who she had in tow was even more heartbreaking.

“[She] has a gray and white pitty friend wearing a collar with no tags,” Bailey wrote.

It wasn’t long before the folks at Stray Rescue of St. Louis (SRSL) saw the post and rushed to the stretch of highway where the dogs were reportedly stuck. Sure enough, the rescuers found the black dog lying flat on the rumble strips, seemingly hit by a car, and a worried companion who refused to abandon her.

“Her friend … wouldn’t leave her side,” SRSL wrote on Facebook.

While the folks at SRSL save stray dogs daily, something about this pair felt different. Aside from being on the highway alone, the dogs seemed well taken care of, which sparked a heightened feeling of urgency in the rescuers.

“We could tell the pups were in great shape (other than being hit by a car, of course),” SRSL wrote. “We knew they were loved, [we] just had to find their people!”

The team carefully carried the black dog, Hope, to their car and guided the white dog, Diamond, to follow right behind her. At SRSL’s vet clinic, Hope received a full checkup, and her prognosis turned out to be better than anyone had expected.

“She’s going to be OK!” SRSL wrote in a comment. “[There’s] nothing broken — we’re just stitching up her leg for now.”

Luckily, hope’s injuries were treatable, and she was soon on the mend. Shortly after the pups arrived at the shelter, the staff found their microchips but sadly discovered the devices had outdated contact information.

Still, the crew refused to give up on finding the pups’ family. And, unbeknownst to them, the dogs’ concerned parents were doing everything they could to locate their babies. After responding to a Facebook post about the dogs, the parents were connected to SRSL and breathed deep sighs of relief when they learned the pups were safe.

“They rushed here the moment we got in contact with them,” SRSL wrote on Facebook. “They’ve been worried sick.”

When the couple got to the shelter, they were elated to see their fur babies. They were shocked to learn the duo had been found over a mile away from the home they’d accidentally escaped, making the reunion that much sweeter.

“[They’re] the most loving, kind people,” SRSL wrote. “It was a wonderful reunion.”

After the emotional reunion, the SRSL staff helped the pups’ parents update their microchips with the correct contact information, then sent Diamond home. Hope needed a few more hours to recover from her procedure, but her parents returned for her later that night.

The little family feels complete again, and the folks at SRSL couldn’t be happier with the outcome. While their hearts break thinking of the pups scared and injured on the highway, there’s no better reward than knowing they’re back where they belong.

“[We’re] so happy to get them back together,” SRSL wrote.