Pets are so important to people, whether it’s a cuddly kitten, an adventurous dog or a nose twitching bunny. Dogs will wait impatiently on the other side of the door for their owner as soon as they hear the key in the door, their tails wagging furiously with delight.
Cats will meander over and wind themselves around an owner’s leg, waiting for a scratch behind the ear. It’s tough on some kids when they head off to college and must leave behind their pets, but many universities do not allow animals, other than service animals, in residence halls.
Stephanie Veerman, 19, was understandably upset at leaving behind her beloved hamster Chester when she headed off to college. She entrusted Chester’s care to her dad Daniel, an attorney, who became an empty-nester when Stephanie flew the coop.
Daniel was initially leery of the “rodent,” but eventually grew to enjoy the little critter.
The Massachusetts bachelor even bought a batch of tiny toys and tasty treats for Chester, he told TODAY Parents.
“I’ve always had German Shepherds and at first I thought he was just some rodent.”
Even though the pair began to bond, Daniel had a huge scare.
“I don’t have a lot to take care of, and I almost screwed up the one thing I have.”
While Daniel was cleaning out Chester’s cage one weekend, the critter busted free and embarked upon a wild adventure around the house.
“I put Chester in this ball he likes to roll around in, and when I came back, he was gone. He’d somehow opened the top of the ball.”
Daniel snapped into action, crawling around the house on his hands and knees with a flashlight trying to find his buddy, freaking out because he knew his daughter would be crushed if something bad happened to Chester.
He realized he had to tell her what happened, but at the same time reassure her that he would not give up searching for her hamster.
“How am I going to explain this to Stephanie?”
Stephanie received a panicked text from her dad describing the situation. He referred to Chester’s big escape as an “emergency” and his “biggest screw up ever.”
“If I can’t find him today, I’m not going to work tomorrow so I can keep looking.”
Stephanie reassured her dad that it would all be okay and he didn’t have to do that.
“Dad — he’s a hamster. I don’t blame you at ALL. You shouldn’t skip work. You are a lawyer and he is a hamster.”
Daniel took extreme measures to find Chester.
“I googled ‘How to find a hamster’ and some dude said to put flour down to see if he’s been in the area. I also set food traps and rubbed peanut butter, his favorite food, all over my office.”
It took 12 exceptionally long hours of searching, freaking out, texting Stephanie and taking deep breaths before Daniel found him. He was hiding behind a book about Richard Nixon of all places.
Stephanie shared on Twitter the series of tweets her dad sent her and described him how “truly pure my father is.” She also shared a photo of the adorable Chester whom she described as “the light of my life and not ‘just a hamster.'”
Even funnier is that not long after Daniel found Chester, the escape artist tried to flee yet again!
Stephanie’s tweets received hundreds of thousands of likes and shares. Not only is Chester a viral superstar, but now so is the dedicated Daniel.
He said he doesn’t mind being known as the hamster dad. He was just thrilled that Chester was found safe and sound.
Stephanie also recently launched a line of merchandise with some of the clever texts she and her dad exchanged during the frantic hunt for Chester. People are snatching it all up, loving the story behind the apparel.
What an awesome story with a happy ending!
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