T.O. stirred into action after British girl loses Sleepy Dog
Police officer joins hunt for beloved stuffed animal that went astray at Eaton Centre
A little girl, a stuffed animal and the social media campaign to reunite them.
Describing her daughter as “heartbroken,” a mother’s Facebook post imploring for help to locate a stuffed pink dog has been shared on the social media site more than 7,000 times.
The family of four was killing time in the Eaton Centre before their journey back home to Exeter, England on Aug. 4.
Phoebe, 6, had her beloved stuffed animal Sleepy Dog with her, wrote Julie Letton, Phoebe’s mother, in an email.
When Phoebe noticed her toy was missing, Letton said her stomach flipped. The family retraced their steps and searched the mall. “Phoebe was with me and was inconsolable. She cried constantly for about two hours,” Letton said.
The family had to leave without finding Sleepy Dog, despite their search and speaking with staff at the Eaton Centre.
In the taxi on the way to the airport, Letton composed her Facebook post and has since made a Facebook group.
One of the people aiding in the search is Toronto police Sgt. Wendy Drummond, who enlisted the help of Twitter users. “We are all pulling together to bring this little guy home,” she tweeted.
Drummond was inspired to tweet after she saw Letton’s online post. She has children of her own and said she knows what this situation is like with toys that carry meaning.
“As adults we’ve all experienced heartbreak at some point in our lives, so we know what it feels like, and it’s awful to see (Phoebe) going through such an emotional time,” Letton said. “Sleepy Dog has been her No. 1 since he came into her life when she was less than a year old.”
“Phoebe is amazed by the amount of people who are trying to help her,” Letton continued.
“We are all very grateful.”