Based on a true story
On a brisk November day in 2018, Cleo finds herself in her owner's car. Relaxing in the back seat, with her favourite blanket, thinking this was just a normal drive to their favourite spot to take a walk. 57 miles later, Cleo and her family arrive at a house she’s never been to before and being a good girl Lab, she follows her family into the strange house.
There aren't many familiar smells, no familiar floor textures and different colours on the walls. One very important missing detail of this home, something she absolutely adored about her own home, a porch. A glorious wooden porch where she could find just the right spot to soak up the sun. She wasn’t too bothered though, it wasn’t her home, she probably thought to herself,
‘Poor pup that lives here, they have no porch!’
Cleo follows her family in, and begins to smell familiar things. Their sofa, her dog bed, her - HER TOYS! What the hell is going on?? Oh only if Cleo knew, this wasn’t a stranger's home, her family were moving and this was her new home
Absolutely not, she thought to herself. Simply no. So on what can only be assumed a doggy stealth mission, Cleo takes herself off from the new home in Olathe, Kansas, and sets out on a 57 mile journey back to her porch in Lawson, Missouri.
Isn’t that magnificent?? This dog really thought to herself, screw you guys, I love my porch, you forgot to pack it, I’m going home!
Now the new family that had moved into the Cleo’s old home were understandably confused at the sight of a yellow lab they’d never seen before just casually relaxing on their porch. When the couple tried to approach Cleo, she wouldn’t let them get close. Eventually Colton Michael and his wife Britney managed to bring Cleo to the local vet to have her chip checked, and soon realised she belonged to the house’s previous owners
Can you believe it? While we all know pups are smart, they are still quite young minded compared to humans - can you imagine what it would be like to have a child in your family take off on a lonely 57 mile walk - quite terrifying! What she must have seen! She could’ve been dog napped, hit by a car, attacked by other dogs, not to mention the wildlife in the United States she’d be exposed to meeting! But no, nothing phased Cleo
Thankfully Cleo was lovingly reunited with her family all in one piece before long. What a lucky girl. I think the owners are now considering installing a porch in their new home…
You can watch the story of Cleo's journey here. We think it would make a great movie. Homeward Bound 3, Back to the Porch.