Nipper, a Jack Russell terrier, and his pre-iPod RCA Victrola

Losing a furry friend is never easy but for a 4-year-old boy in Ventura, California, it was especially traumatic. Ethan North has autism and he and his Jack Russell-schnauzer mix puppy Flower were inseparable.

When Flower went missing from the family's backyard, the family put up fliers and checked the local shelter, where employees were so moved by the story that eight employees hit the streets, papering the area with fliers. The media picked up the story and Flower was returned to the family after showing up outside a local business, trembling but otherwise OK.