A heartwarming reunion (Video)

Losing a pet, whether they’ve died or run away, is a heartbreaking experience for anyone. For a whole week, Lee — who is 24 and lives on the streets of Leeds, England — thought he truly lost everything in the world. Lee is a devoted dog owner who loves his dog named Crystal with all his heart, even though he doesn’t have the means to put a roof over either of their heads. On one cold day, an argument broke out near where Lee and Crystal were camped out under an underpass. Spooked, Crystal ran off into the night and was quickly lost in the hustle and bustle of the city. Lee was heartbroken, spending days pounding the pavement searching for his best friend.

He looked everywhere, but it soon became clear that he would need help.  Thankfully, a volunteer group called Helping Hands works in Leeds to help provide food, shelter, clothing, and sleeping bags to the homeless population. The group heard that Crystal was missing and put the word out to their many friends and supporters. Lee was devastated. Toni Mella Sweeney works with Helping Hands, and she explained that it took a village to help locate Lee’s missing dog. After ten long days, Helping Hands and Murphy’s Army managed to locate Crystal after a tip from a gamekeeper in Kirkstall Forge. “It was awesome when I received the call,” Toni said happily. “The whole event was a whole week of panic and broken emotions, Lee and I spent time together whilst I consoled him and reassured him. The morning I received the call I immediately went to find Lee.”

She didn’t realise how deep their bond was until she saw them reunited

Although she knew the young man had missed his dog and was desperate to get her back, she didn’t realise how deep their bond was until she saw them reunited. When she finally located Lee, she brought him back to reunite with Crystal in a moment that she said was “mind-blowing.” The video runs for just a few minutes, but in those moments you see a human who was utterly lost without his dog. He’s choking back sobs the entire time as his dog wriggles closer to him, her white tail thumping with excitement and joy. Watch the video, this is an emotional reunion and a joyful moment.