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There’s truly nothing like the unconditional love of a dog. They’re there with us through good times and bad, and are always there to lift our spirits. No one knows this better than Rosa Nese. She and her 8-year-old yellow Lab were inseparable, and yet, when a bizarre turn of events forced them apart, Rosa went to extreme measures to get her back again…
Hard Times
East Boston resident, Rosa Nese, was have a rough go at it in July of 2016. She suffered the loss of her mother and shortly after, her childhood home had burned down. She was struggling, but thankfully she had her dog Chief by her side…
Loyal & Lovable
Chief, Rosa’s 8-year-old lovable yellow Labrador, supported her through these struggles. He was a super friendly dog that didn’t have a bad bone in him, and Rosa absolutely adored him. She would do anything for him, and soon, she would have to…
Adored Fur-Child
Rosa swears that Chief rescued her saying she can’t wait to come home from work to see him. She hung photos of him around the house and alongside photos of her kids on the refrigerator. Her love for him made the events of May 5, 2018, all the more catastrophic…
Stopping at the Market
That day, Rosa and Chief went to visit her mother’s grave and stopped at Saratoga Market on the way home to get some lottery tickets. She left the car running and the A/C on so Chief was comfortable for those few minutes alone…
Empty Spot
Rosa went into the market and six minutes later she came out to her parking spot to find nothing. Her Hyundai was not there. Panic set in…
Calling 911
Rosa was in shock. Not only was her car gone, but her beloved Chief was too. “I started screaming ‘Chief, Chief, Chief,'” she said. Unsure what to do next, she called the police…
Health Issues
Rosa’s panic was increased because Chief was an aging dog with a number of health issues, one of which was severe allergies. Chief was on a special prescription diet and without her, he was in trouble…
The Opportunist
Police arrived on scene and pulled the security footage and immediately spotted the thief opening up Rosa’s car door and hopping in. He had a neon green backpack and casually got in the car like it was his own…
Keep It
Rosa was most concerned with Chief. She said “I want [Chief] found safe. That’s all I want. No questions asked… I really don’t care about the car.†She asked that the man drop him off at a precinct. He could keep the car, just not her beloved pup…
Waiting Game
Rosa let the police do their job and prayed they would find her dog. In the meantime, Rosa and her close friends set up headquarters in her apartment. Staring sadly at his empty dog bed, all she could do was wait and hope that he would be found…
The Search
One of Rosa’s friends, Sandy Caparella, knew how much Rosa was going through. She said, “Rosa just couldn’t catch a break, mentally, emotionally, physically…Chief was just everything she needed.†Sandy and Rosa’s other close friends all stayed by her side while the police worked to find Chief…
To The Streets
Rosa and her friends couldn’t just sit around and do nothing, though. They walked the area to look for any sign of her white Hyundai. There was an Italian flag sticked on the back that would hopefully help them identify it…
The Next Day
The next day, the Saratoga Market captured footage of the Hyundai returning to the store a little after 11 p.m. but the driver never got out of the car. When the driver saw another person outside of the market, he suddenly drove away…
Lost Dog
Rosa kept the news station on all day waiting for anything to be mentioned. When she heard that there was a dog wandering around the nearby parkway, she had a friend take her over there, praying that it was Chief…
Spreading the Word
There was no sign of him, though. The longer he was missing, the more strangers got in on the search. A local rescue even shared a photo of him asking people to keep their eyes peeled. Rosa was grateful for all the help, but she was starting to lose faith…
No Plates
On Monday, three days later, there was a breakthrough. A security guard at a local cemetery had spotted a car parked for several hours on the premises with no front or reason license plates…
Chief!
The security guard approached the vehicle and spotted a happy yellow Lab in the back seat. It was Chief! We just erupted,†Rosa recalled after she heard the news. “I just fell to the ground when I saw him.â€
The Arrest
Later that day, authorities arrested the man who had stolen Rosa’s car. He was spotted sneaking around with the same neon green backpack from the market’s footage. Rosa, though, wasn’t concerned with justice…
Back Together
Rosa rejoiced at Chief’s safe return. she said. “He makes me happy. It’s him and I. I have him back, and I’m going to move on.†Rosa was thrilled to have her baby back, but at the same time, across the country, another family was praying for the same good fortune…
West Tampa
In November of 2018, Miguel Camacho was studying for an exam to get his journeyman electrician’s license. He was thrilled to begin a new career to support his family. When he needed a study break, he grabbed his phone…
Mindless Scrolling
He took a study break catching up with his friends online. He scrolled through his feeds until a particular post caught his attention…
Kiteboarding Dog
He came across a video of a kite-surfing dog that his friends were sharing on Facebook. The Jack Russell Terrier was managing the kite rod like a pro. But something was off…
Surf Crew
This kite-surfing little dog belonged to Dimitri Maramenides, his wife Helen Trotman, and their two children, Cameron and Olivia. They were a surfing family who spent every weekend at the beach, and their dog always tagged along…
Olympic Recruit
Cameron, Dimitri’s son, had been surfing and kiteboarding since he was 6-years-old. He was a natural, and soon, he would make it big in professional kitesurfing…
Family Affair
Cameron was being recruited by team USA to compete in the 2020 Olympics for kiteboarding. The family, including their talented dog Zeus, was at a competition at the north Skyway Bridge beach when something horrible happened…
Missing Zeus
While watching Cameron compete, they suddenly realized Zeus was missing. The family was frantic and desperate to get their precious little dog back…
Public Help
Miguel had come across a video of Cameron while scrolling on Facebook. In the video, Cameron was pleading for Zeus to be safely returned. Apparently, he had been taken by a middle-aged man in a gray Sedan, and the Maramenides family was desperate to find it…
Gray Sedan
While Miguel felt bad for the family and their missing pal Zeus, there was nothing he could really do to help in the moment. He pocketed his phone and right as he looked up he ironically saw a grey sedan pull up, with a middle-aged white man behind the wheel…
The Surprise
While at first it seemed like too much of a coincidence, something still kept his attention. He watched as the man opened the door to the car, and sure enough, a black and white Jack Russell Terrier hopped out to do its business…
Informing the Police
Miguel looked through his phone and found the video he had seen earlier which listed a phone number in the comments. Cameron answered the phone and Miguel described the dog to him and he replied: “Hey man, that’s my dog!” Miguel quickly called the police but they told him they could take no action without the owner present…
Driving Away
Miguel looked on as the man put the dog back in the car and began to drive off. Unfortunately, he couldn’t follow the man because he had to get to school for his big test…
Following
Miguel still had a little time, though, so he decided to carefully follow him for a little until hopefully, help could arrive…
Confrontation
After following him for a little bit, the man pulled over and got out of his car and aggressively approached Miguel asking why he was following him. “I don’t think that’s your dog,” Miguel replied calmly. “Of course it is!” he shouted back…
Recognition
Not thinking, Miguel shouted out “Zeus!” Clearly excited to hear his name, the dog jumped out and sprinted to Miguel. He quickly scooped him up and ran towards his car…
Reunited
Miguel threw Zeus in his car and called Cameron to let him know. “We are still pinching ourselves to see if we are dreaming,” said Helen Trotman. “We are so fortunate Miguel was there and was willing to put himself into a possibly dangerous situation to get our dog back.” Unfortunately, though, the chase took longer than he had planned…
Missed Exam
Due to the chase, Miguel had missed his big test… he knew this meant he would fail the class…
Reward
Even though Miguel was crushed over missing his exam, the Maramenides family helped to dull the sting when they asked him if he would like the $3,500 reward in cash or check. Miguel had no idea that a reward was even on the table and he didn’t think it was necessary…
Holiday Spirit
Miguel was upset he wouldn’t get his engineering license but the money that the family insisted he accept would at least help him for the upcoming holidays. He had two children, and now he could make some Christmas wishes come true for them and put the rest into savings accounts…
Makeup Exam
Best of all, Miguel’s professor agreed to let him take the exam at another time after hearing about his courageous rescue. Miguel was overcome with happiness…
Good Deeds
Miguel has risked not only his own safety but also his future to help a total stranger. This was a good deed that truly set him apart. The family was eternally grateful and thrilled to have their special dog back. So to celebrate they headed to the beach…
Surf’s Up
Zeus’s kidnapping was very upsetting for everyone involved, but now that they had him back, they took him to the beach where he could enjoy a nice little surf session.