More than a dozen volunteers form relay, travel 2,000 miles to return stolen dog to family

BUTTE, Mon. - More than a dozen volunteers formed a relay team of drivers, traveling 2,000 miles, to return a stolen dog from West Virginia to his family in Montana. 

A family friend allegedly stole the pit bull Zeus around two months ago from Butte, Montana, WOWK-TV reported. The suspect was then apprehended in West Virginia, when the Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association took Zeus in. 

“Basically robbed her blind stole her wallet, a number of things while she was at work including her dog Zeus… the friend was apprehended in Nitro (West Virginia)… and when he was arrested Zeus was still with him,” Chelsea Staley, executive director of Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association, told WOWK.

More than a dozen volunteers formed a relay team of drivers, traveling 2,000 miles, to return a stolen dog named Zeus from West Virginia to his family in Montana. (Photo: Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association)

Zeus’ microchip revealed that his family was in Montana. 

Since many commercial airlines have banned pit bulls from flying, the organization Many Paws Volunteer Transport assembled a relay team of drivers to transport Zeus back to his family, the station reported. 

The volunteer effort involved 15 drivers across nine states and over four days, according to the report.  

On Monday, Zeus was reunited with his owner, Cassandra Rasmussen and her two daughters, the report said. 

“Montana Zeus is HOME!” the humane association said in a Facebook post. “We’re so honored to be a part of his journey, and grateful for the volunteers nationwide who made this reunion possible!” 

“While Zeus’ journey is a heartwarming holiday story, it’s just a glimpse into what animal welfare organizations do 365 days per year, in order to save pets’ lives and reunite families. Afterall, it’s #allforlove. #whywerescue,” the association added. 

This story was reported from Los Angeles.