German shepherd returns to owner three years after being stolen on vacation

A dog called Rocky drove on the nation’s heartstrings on Friday after trekking halfway up Italy to find the owner he was stolen from three years ago. The German shepherd moved 700 km in two months on his long trip home. Ibrahim Fwal, a Syrian national who lives in the Tuscany town of Carrara, said he adopted Rocky from the pound five years ago when he was just a puppy. Fwal said he and the dog were inseparable and partial to long rides on his motor scooter, which the two took on a summer holiday to Salerno in southern Italy.It was after just such a ride that Rocky was snatched while Fwal and his children were getting a splash in the sea.

Rocky presumptively found a way to escape his capturers and was later adopted by a family from Salerno. But his new owners said he never stopped trying to escape and finally followed last November.

Two months later, they were reached by a man in Pisa some 600 km away who had found their dog heading north along the roadway. The long journey had taken its toll on Rocky who was gaunt, dirty and limping on blistered paws.

His status suggested a visit to the veterinarian who found out a tattoo indicating to his original owner. Fwal said that he’d never given up hope his dog would come home one day and rushed to Pisa to regain his long-lost friend. After trekking halfway up the Italian peninsula, Rocky moved the last 100 km home on the seat of Fwal’s motor scooter.

Rocky’s adventured grabbed national headlines on Friday, setting him in league with another dog hero who came to celebrity in late months, a German shepherd called Black who saved his owner in Turin from an attempted rapist.