TAMPA, FL - Social media to the rescue!
A post to Facebook helped reunite a Florida family with their lost dog.
Lika the German Shepherd waited hours to be able to kiss her family again.
Friday morning, Brenda Medina and her daughters had an awards ceremony to attend at school.
They left Lika like always.
"We left the dog outside like we usually do and when we came back home around 10 in the morning we noticed that she wasn't there," Medina said.
After tearing through the yard and the neighborhood--the Medinas thought they'd lost their family member forever.
"She's kind of like another one of my kids. I love her to death and I couldn't picture somebody doing anything cruel to her," Medina said.
But someone had.
Police think someone stole Lika from the Medinas' fenced in backyard.
A Good Samaritan called police after they'd seen a man in a pickup truck put Lika out on the side of the road and take off.
They rushed across the street and stayed with the dog until police arrived.
Tampa PD posted Lika's picture on Facebook -- where the Medinas' neighbor spotted it and told her they'd found Lika.
"I just can't fathom how somebody would do that, you know, take an animal that's not yours. Even if it was yours, but especially if it's not yours and just kind of toss it on the side of the road," Medina said.
The family picked Lika up Friday night.
She was dirty -- but unharmed.
"She could have been killed and I just thank God that she's fine," Medina said.
All because of the reach of social media -- and the kindness of the strangers who called police.
"I just want to say thank you and my family is so grateful."