Missing Dog Reunited With Owners After Maui Wildfires

A dog who went missing during the wildfires in Maui is reportedly in good health after being reunited with his owners.

Roman was in the care of his dog sitter when fires broke out August 8th in the town of Lahaina. In a Facebook post, the Maui Humane Society reported that Roman’s sitter was forced to jump into the ocean to avoid the flames. Terrified of the water, Roman instead fled down a burning street.

He was located two days later by employees of the Goodfellow Bros. construction company, who handed him over to a “good samaritan” that ferried the pup to Ma'alaea harbor. “He was burned on his paws, legs, back and body,” the Humane Society reported. “Roman was microchipped, [so] we called his owners and they immediately came to the shelter to take their baby boy home.” They confirmed that the pooch was resting and recovering with his family.

Pictures posted on Instagram by one of Roman’s owners, Nicole Comey, shows the pup with decorated bandages across his legs and body. A video shows Roman walking across a sunny stretch of grass, examining his yard. Comey was off the island during the catastrophic fires, which have officially claimed 106 lives to date. She remarked in another post how she “cannot be more grateful for how this community has and continues to step up.”

The Maui Humane Society hopes that Roman is the first of many pets reunited with their humans after the wildfires. They remind all pet owners to have their animals microchipped so that it will be easier to identify them if lost.