Neighbors work together to get furry friend home

Sometimes, dogs just want to go on a little adventure.

Especially on Longboat Key where the palm trees are abundant and the beach is welcoming. 

Doggo, a 9-year-old Shiba Inu, is no exception. So, on Jan. 17 he did just that, skipping the beach but making a new friend instead. 

Doggo escaped through the front door of his house and wandered down Gulf of Mexico Drive until Cindy Meibach’s daughter, Hayley, found him while out walking near Euphemia Haye Restaurant.

What's a dog to do with aromas of Filet Mignon Fritzie wafting through the neighborhood? But soon, Doggo was lost and started looking for help.

At first, Hayley Meibach thought an owner was nearby, but as she got closer she realized the dog was alone. Doggo started following her, and unsure what to do, she called her mom who came to lend a hand. Another passer-by walking her dog quickly went to her home to get a spare leash.

The Meibachs brought Doggo to the Longboat Key Police Station.

“I just hoped someone would do that if it was my dog,” Cindy Meibach said.

In a police report, Doggo was identified as “approximately 25 pounds, light brown and had an appearance similar to a fox.”

He had a collar but no identification tags. Luckily, he was wearing a gray shirt that said “Momma’s Boy.”

So, when his owner Breanna Pituch came home and panicked because Doggo was missing, she called the police and said her dog was missing. And she mentioned the "Momma's Boy" shirt.

“I drove around a little bit and probably 10 to 15 minutes later the Longboat Key police called me,” she said.

Pituch, who has owned Doggo for two years, said he was wandering for at least an hour. She said he's always been full of energy. 

Miebach called it a happy ending.

“I’m just really happy he got reunited with his owner,” she said.