Laralai Dodd is a 17 year old food delivery driver in Yreka CA. KRCR-TV reports that she spotted a dog running loose on a busy street. She was afraid the pup was going to get hurt, so she followed him. When she caught up with him and opened her car door, the friendly dog jumped right in.
Dodd drove around for a bit checking to see if anyone in the small town was missing their dog, but nobody recognized him. So she took the dog back to her house and reached out to area shelters looking for his owner. After two days of searching, Dodd took the dog to a local animal rescue organization. There they scanned the pup and discovered he had a microchip. The scan revealed the dog, named Max, is a service dog and he is from Anderson, California, more than 100 miles away. The microchip database company contacted Max’s owner, Shirley, and gave her Dodd’s phone number. Shirley called Dodd and told her Max had been stolen and was missing for two weeks.
That day, Dodd made the trek south over 100 miles from Yreka to Anderson to reunite Max with his owner. Dodd says when the pup sniffed his owner, “He just started freaking out. He was very happy.” Dodd says the reunion was emotional, but she was glad to reunite them and they both seemed “so happy.” Shirley offered Dodd an envelope, which she tried to refuse, but Max’s owner insisted she keep. The envelope contained a sweet thank you note and $100. The teen plans to use the money to help her study for the exam so she can graduate high school early.