'Hey bro, do you know me?' Stray dog picked up in Sydney actually from Hastings - but his story has a happy ending

More than 100,000 people shared Baloo's story on social media. Photo / Supplied

New Kiwi migrant to Australia Sapphire Neho is overwhelmed at the response of more than 100,000 people who helped track down her lost dog Baloo through social media.

"I'm really overwhelmed, I can't even believe how fast it got around," she said.

Baloo, named after a character in Disney's Jungle Book, went missing in the South Sydney suburb of Hurstville yesterday, a month after arriving from Hastings to join Ms Neho.

The home posted a hilarious message on Facebook in the words of the dog.

"Hey Bro, do you know me??" it read.

"My name is Baloo and I'm a long way from home, bro. I come from a residence in Hastings, New Zealand! Yep! Nuu Zeland. I just came down under for the Bledisloe and sum Fush & Chups, but now I'm lost az bro! ?#?LostAzBro

"C'mon Sydney - help a brother out! ?#?Repost ?#?PoochCanClearlySwim"

The home posted a photo of Baloo and the call for help on its at about 1pm (NZ time) yesterday.

More than 100,000 people on both sides of the Tasman shared the story.

Meanwhile Ms Neho, 25, who moved to Sydney a month ahead of Baloo, was also frantically posting to social media about losing the dog.

"I posted on my Snapchat and Instagram and all over my Facebook," she said.

"One of my friends just tagged me and it was like, wow! She was like, this is a random, is this your dog? And it was like, it really is!"

Ms Neho had been working for Inland Revenue in Wellington, was advised to establish a home in Sydney before bringing Baloo over separately. She took him to live with family members in Hawkes Bay until he joined her in Sydney.

"For the first few days he was quite skittish. That's because he had been moving around quite a bit," she said.

"He loves it now. My little cousins staying here already love him and tire him out completely."

She said no one realised he was missing after he ran loose yesterday because each person coming home assumed Baloo must be out with someone else.

"Then we realised like nah, everyone's home and he's not here, and it was panic stations," she said.

"It's the first time we realised he could get out. We still don't know how he got out. Usually someone comes home during the day and yesterday no one did, and perhaps that's what upset him."

Baloo's big adventure

May: Baloo moves from Wellington to Hawkes Bay when owner Sapphire Neho moved to Australia
Early July: Baloo flies to Sydney to join Sapphire

Wednesday

9am: Baloo is at home when Sapphire Neho leaves for work
1.10pm: Baloo picked up by council worker
1.50pm: Council delivers Baloo to Sydney Dogs and Cats Home
3.11pm: Home posts "#LostAsBro" call on social media
4pm: Adults returning from work at Sapphire's home realise Baloo is missing
7pm: Sapphire arrives home and searches streets for Baloo
7.47pm: A friend tags Sapphire into "#LostAzBro" messages
7.49pm: Sapphire responds: "It's my dog"

Thursday

9am: Sapphire and aunt April Heaney arrive at Sydney Dogs and Cats Home
9.30am: Home opens; Baloo and Sapphire reunited

(Sydney Times)