SINGAPORE: After a search for a missing fur kid was joined by many Singaporeans, a male chow chow named Kiko was finally found.

Matthew Teh and his family were in Vietnam on Dec 7 when they learned from Woofworks, where five-year-old Kiko was staying while his family was away, that Chow Chow went missing.

Alarmed by hearing this, they cut their trip short by three days and returned to Singapore the following day, and starting the search by Dec 8.

Mr Teh quickly created a Telegram group named “Search for Kiko”, which soon grew to hundreds of members. Last seen near the CTE at 6 Mar Thoma Road, Kiko touched the hearts of countless Singaporeans. Many rushed over after work, while others drove around the area late into the night, all determined to bring the missing chow chow home.

Telegram

On December 9, Mr Teh put up a poster that said there would be a S$5000 reward for whoever found the missing chow chow.

That very afternoon, Kiko was found. An update on the group chat simply read, “WE FOUND KIKO,” which was greeted with great joy and excitement by many of the group’s members.

Telegram

In further updates, it said that Kiko had been found in the drain at 8 Mar Thoma Road, and a short video clip showed him walking along the drain.

Group members, however, were told to steer clear, as they might end up frightening Kiko, and Mr Teh was already on his way to the location, bringing durian, which his family said was his favourite food.

A photo of the migrant worker who had found the fur kid was also posted on the chat. He had been putting posters up when he saw Kiko.

“THAT GUY IS A HERO!!!!!” one group member wrote, while others rejoiced that he would be rewarded for his efforts.

Sometime afterward, the moderators of the group appropriately changed it to “KIKO IS FOUND.”

“Hello all, we are deeply grateful for everyone’s help. It is insane we were able to reach so many people and everyone was so willing to help. We wouldn’t have done it without you all. We are sending him to the vet now and we will give you guys updates. As of now, Kiko has eaten a bit of durian and drank lots of water,” an update from the family read. /TISG

Read also: ‘We cannot accept the negligence’—Pet owner and grooming salon argue over an accident that made a dog lose an eye