Gemma Burton was taking her usual route on the 620 bus in West Yorkshire, England when she noticed an unusual passenger on board. Sitting on one of the seats opposite her was a very sad looking dog. The Staffordshire Bull Terrier cross was travelling alone and wearing a harness, but no leash.
Burton was taking the morning bus on her way to college, and snapped a photo of the sad pup before she got off. She then posted it to her Facebook page in the hopes the dog’s owners would be found. Within minutes people were sharing it far and wide. The caption read: This little cutie came on the 620 bus at Bierley Lane to Bradford this morning. If she belongs to you and you’re in Bradford, please, please come to the Bradford Interchange bus station and collect her.
https://www.facebook.com/gemma.burton.18/posts/2726831427330045
“She was calm with everybody,” she told TODAY, “When she wandered around on her own, she did whine a little.” The passengers on board collectively prevented the dog from getting off at a couple of spots where there was heavy traffic and she was likely to get hurt.
A dog warden was contacted and the passengers kept an eye on her until she was collected at Bradford Interchange bus station. From there, the dog warden took her to Cliffe Kennels nearby. As she had been found on a bus, the dog was named Olive after a character from British 70s sitcom On the Buses. “She did seem sad. She was sniffing around, and it looked like she was looking for someone,” Burton told TODAY.
Although it had seemed like she had been abandoned on the bus by her owner, comments on the Facebook post revealed that many in the area had seen her wandering around the previous night and she had in fact hopped on the bus unnoticed by the driver.
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Burton’s post has since been shared more than 3000 times, attracting attention from those even across the pond, asking for updates on Olive and where she is. Locals who had seen Olive around the area or on the bus added updates as regularly as they could.
Cliffe Kennels, a family-run kennel in Barnsley, also shared an update via Facebook, stating they will continue searching for Olive’s owner for seven days as required by law before they advertize her for adpotion. “The dog has seen a vet and is well except for an eye problem which is now being treated,” they shared.
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A staff member at the shelter said they had been inundated with calls about Olive. “There’s only going to be one lucky person out of the inundation of calls,” she told BBC, and it seems like she will get a home very soon.
Gemma Burton said she was surprised her simple post garnered so much attention, but is glad Olive is in the right hands now. “I would like her to be reunited with her owner if they’re missing her or put into the loving home she deserves.”
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