Hank the Dog Unlocks Door, Runs 11 Miles to Foster Mom's House

Rachel Kauffman and her foster dog Hank | Image: Mark Weber 

Rachel Kauffman, a veterinary tech residing in Memphis, Tennessee, already had two dogs at home and another she was fostering. She had no plans to expand her menagerie. Yet when she saw a picture of Hank, a beautiful white shepherd, in a newspaper, his expression of fear and sadness tugged at her every proverbial heartstring. Hank needed a home; he was too thin and sick with heartworm. That was October 22. 

That day, Kauffman brought Hank to her home. Seemingly quite happy with his new surroundings, Hank bonded with Rachel and her animals. She could tell that Hank enjoyed the newfound attention and the walks that they all took. Yet as planned, six days later Kauffman handed Hank over to a longer-term foster care situation in which he could further convalesce. 

But Hank evidently couldn't get his first foster mom and her loving home out of his mind. When his new foster parent left home and locked Hank in, he managed to unlock the door and bounce. 

Read about Hank's eleven mile trek across town to return to Rachel's house and see a video of their reunion (in which Hank is seen beaming, despite the footage being blurry) here. Via Arbroath