The Internet Has Helped Reuinte A Homeless Man With His ‘Stolen’ Pet Rat
Heartwarming story alert.
The world is full of very bad things happening all of the goddamn time. As a result, every now and then, we all need a good news story. So here’s a doozy for you: the internet has helped reunite a homeless gentleman with his beloved pet rat, Lucy.
Let’s start from the beginning. Chris is a homeless man who lives on the streets of Sydney. He is a familiar sight to people passing through the city, not only because he’s a genial, smiling prescence, but also because of his pet rat, Lucy, who sits beside him on a little milk crate.
Last Saturday, however, disaster struck: Lucy was stolen. While Chris was using the bathroom, someone made off with Lucy, leaving the man heartbroken.
Immediately, Chris put up a sign. “My pet rat Lucy was stolen on Saturday,” it read. “Lucy is back and white with a bit of brown.”
Almost immediately, photographs of Chris and the sign went viral, as the internet banded together to find the man his beloved rodent friend.
Posted by Lost Pets in NSW on Wednesday, 10 April 2019
Well, thankfully, it didn’t take long before Lucy was secured.
Under a week after the rat went missing, she was discovered again, and was reunited with her grateful owner. Better yet, the whole reuinon was captured on camera, producing this almost intolerably heart-warming video:
Great news!Officers from Sydney City Police Area Command have reunited a homeless man and his pet rat today, after she went missing last week.Just after 2pm on Saturday 6 April 2019, a homeless man left his pet rat 'Lucy' on a milkcrate on Pitt Street while he used a nearby bathroom.A woman, who walked past and saw Lucy alone, believed she had been abandoned, so took her home and cared for her.Thanks to all our Facebook followers, Lucy was safely retrieved today and returned to her owner.
Posted by NSW Police Force on Wednesday, 17 April 2019
See, it turns out that Lucy wasn’t even technically stolen. While Chris was out at the loo, a passer-by spotted Lucy, and assumed that she was lost. Rather than let the rat face the streets of Sydney alone, the passer-by brought Lucy home and took her under her wing.
So there you have it: a heartwarming story of friends reunited, the kindness of strangers, and the power of the internet. Oh, and all wrapped up with a delightful video of a genial roden giving her owner an appreciative kiss.
Worth pointing out too that homelessness in Sydney is an issue that you can do something about right now, either by volunteering or donating goods, or by assisting great charities like Sydney Homeless Connect. This is a lovely news story, sure — but it’d also be really lovely if it helped bring attention to the plight of those without homes in Sydney.