New Bedford Toddler Waiting For Her Missing Dog to Come Home

It’s the kind of story no pet owner ever wants to tell.

A New Bedford family is desperately searching for their missing dog, and at the center of it all is a two-year-old little girl who just wants her best friend back home.

Whaler, the family’s beloved dog, was last seen around 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 1, in the North End near Lincoln School. According to his owner Steven Lamontagne, the family was out at their daughter’s dance competition when the unthinkable happened.

“I was at my daughter’s dance competition and my girl somehow let him out of the house,” he said.

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A Little Girl’s Best Friend

For Lamontagne’s daughter, Whaler isn’t just a pet. He’s her companion, her playmate, her comfort at the end of the day.

“My two-year-old daughter is asking for her dog,” Lamontagne shared, a simple sentence that carries a heavy weight.

Anyone who’s seen the bond between a toddler and a family dog knows it’s pure and unconditional. To her, Whaler isn’t missing. He’s just not home yet.

Spotted, But Not in Time

There were reports of a dog matching Whaler’s description seen near Ashley Boulevard and Belleville Road, but by the time word spread that he was missing, it was already too late to track him down.

READ MORE: Lakeville Family Continues Search for Missing Rottweiler "Wilbur"

Now, the family is asking the SouthCoast community to keep their eyes open, check security cameras and spread the word. Any information, please message Lamontagne on his Facebook page.

In a city that’s shown time and time again how it rallies around its own, one little girl is hoping someone will help bring her best friend back where he belongs: home.