Missing Therapy Dog Found After Vegas Massacre Thanks to Social Media

Lori Ennis
by Lori Ennis
The heartbreak of the massacre in Las Vegas continues as the survivors work through their heartache and grief. One story has a happy ending, as a therapy French bulldog who ran away from the chaos and her humans have been reunited.


Ryan Needham is a co-owner of one of the concessions companies working the Route 91 concert in Las Vegas. His fiance was working at the venue as well, and as the shooter opened fire on the crowd, Needham was driving from southern California to meet up with his fiance.


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Needham said as he approached, he heard the chaos and saw the panic as no one knew what was going on or where the shots were even coming from. His employees there at the venue were part of the terrified crowd, and with everyone else, began running to look for cover. One employee tried to pick Needham’s French bulldog puppy Roulette up from the crate she was resting in, but with the noise and pandemonium going on, Roulette was spooked and ran away into the crowd. ‘Rou’ is Needham’s therapy dog, and according to him, is frightened by loud noises like that as well.


Needham said that it was a horrible situation, as people were just petrified and trying to get to safety–they didn’t know what happened to poor Rou as she ran and whether she was stepped on and hurt or worse. They were terrified for Roulette, but dealt with the instant danger to themselves and other concert goers and were just hopeful they’d be reunited somehow. Needham said that she is like their child, so in addition to their heartache over the shooting, they mourned what they thought was the loss of their sweet pup. They looked, but had little luck initially, refusing to go back to their southern California home without her. The couple lived in their truck for days as they searched.


That’s why he said he couldn’t believe how many people came together to help them find Roulette, with thousands of people joining the effort. Reed Cowan, a local Vegas television reporter promised Needham that the Vegas community would come together and help find that special dog, and the incoming help was overwhelmingly supportive!Someone even volunteered to drive from Colorado to Las Vegas to join the search efforts. Help from all over the internet poured in as people identified with how they must be feeling. Needham says that their search even made international news!


Someone even volunteered to drive from Colorado to Las Vegas to join the search efforts. Help from all over the internet poured in as people identified with how they must be feeling. Needham says that their search even made international news! Because of the help Cowan garnered through the power of social media, tip after tip was investigated and led to a happy ending!


Related: Las Vegas Couple Memorialize Beloved Furbaby in a Big Way


Joyfully, Roulette was reunited with her family days later, being found hiding at an apartment complex not far from the strand. Their guess is that she’d been desperately going from her crate to the concert venue in search of them, but because the area is a crime scene, they were not able to search there.


Roulette is in good health, though she shows signs of the trauma herself, and they are thankful to have her back. Needham says that he has been so glad to see the good in people after such heartbreak and feels that finding Rou is a symbol of hope for Las Vegas.


‪.@News3LV friends, tune in now 2 C my story….finally a hopeful story thanx 2 U & a resilient dog. Or News3LV.com stream live ‬


Posted by Reed Cowan on Wednesday, October 4, 2017


I won’t lie. Watching how that sweet dog affected so many as they came together in such tragedy brings me hope for humanity too.

Lori Ennis
Lori Ennis

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