07/28/2020

Barstoolsports.com/ Liz Gonzales / July 27, 2020

I don't know if "name a place where you're likely to lose a personal belonging" has ever been asked on Family Feud, but I can guarantee you "airport" would be right up there. People are always in a rush, always running late, and there are entirely too many stops between you and your destination to not lose something: ticket gate, security, bathroom, Hudson News, terminal, plane seat, plane pocket in front of the seat (my #1 lose-spot), overhead compartment, baggage claim, car, etc. As a result, I'm sure airport/airline employees find lost belongings so often, few are quick to jump into action to return the item. 

Which is exactly what makes this story so damn wonderful! Not only did the Cincinnati Airport Tweet the lost pup when they found him, but they developed an entire social media campaign to get him home.

Think about how much time they spent going from location to location just to take a picture of a stuffed animal. And for what? To hopefully, maybe reunite him with the kid that left him behind? 

Yup. 

Doug and Phyllis Ronco, of Madeira Beach, Florida, said they were driving to the St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport to retrieve their son’s stuffed animal Friday.

I mean… COME ON! It could have been a random kid's random toy, but it wasn't. 

"I think our son was half a slaeep when he left Masch-Masch (the dog's nickname) at the terminal," Ronco said.  "Under normal circumstances, he would never forget him . . . it's very special to him."

For that little boy, his pup symbolized the beginning of his new life with his brand new family; that stuffed puppy meant everything to him and, in a single moment, he was gone. And 99.9% of the time, he would have stayed gone. But not this time. This time, thanks to kind people at the Cincinnati Airport who went above and beyond the call of duty, the puppy had no longer lost his way. 

"The times we are in, some people see the humor in something lighthearted, and others say, 'Is this all you can do, talk about this stupid stuffed animal? he (Ronco) said, laughing.

Hell yes! At this moment in time, it's vital we cling to every story that doesn't make us feel like everything is terrible and getting even more terrible by the minute. 

And if it manages to bring a tiny tear to your eye on a Monday afternoon, well that's just an added bonus.  

FULL STORY HERE