Lost dog found his way to his owner thanks to social media

Poupee was trying to battle his way back to his owner

For roughly a month, little Poupee (pronounced poo-pay) had been in the streets of Holly Hill. This 10 pound dog was trying to find his way back to his owner, Kevin Young, a quadriplegic who lives in New Smyrna Beach.

Young had surgery last month and his license practitioner nurse, who lives in Holly Hill, agreed to watch Poupee.

Recommended Videos



That is when Poupee took an unfortunate opportunity and ran away from the LPN's home.

Young knew the power of social media and quickly posted a picture of Poupee on a Facebook page operated by Volusia County Lost and Found Pets. The post went viral and several people shared Young's and Poupee's story. The operator of the site also emailed the Holly Hill Police Department which in turn sent out a mass email to city employees.

On Thursday, a city employee noticed a dog matching Poupee's description running loose in the 800 block of Daytona Avenue, Holly Hill. The employee passed along the sighting to the Police Department.

Lt. Christopher Yates led a team of officers in conducting a search of the area.

Poupee was spotted and the chase was on. After a 30-minute foot chase, Poupee finally gave up.

Although Poupee seemed healthy, he was filthy as he had been living on the streets for about a month. He was driven to a local grooming service, Bark, Bath, and Beyond, and got a complimentary makeover.

Hours later, Poupee was reunited with Young in New Smyrna Beach. Young was extremely excited to see his long lost best friend. The feeling was mutual as Poupee jumped from Yates' arms onto Young's bed.

It was an emotional day for everyone as reuniting two best friends brought tears to everyone in the room.