LUBBOCK, Texas — When seven-year-old Hunter Wells gets to cuddle his best friend and golden retriever, River, it makes his hospital trips and bouts of sickness a little bit easier. Hunter was diagnosed with Leukemia in 2020. When things seemed to get better, he was re-diagnosed with Leukemia in Nov. 2022.
River has been by Hunter’s side for a few years now and has become his best buddy and therapy dog. So, it was a shock when River suddenly went missing while Hunter was in the hospital last week. The Floydada community came together to look for River while the Wells’ family was worried their dog would be gone forever, especially when they got the call that someone found River dead.
Family was out of town when Lubbock home caught fire, GoFundMe set up for expenses
“We were devastated. He’s not replaceable,” Kayla Wells, Hunter’s mom said. “Golden Retrievers are amazing dogs, but there’s not another River.”
Miraculously, River was found. The call about his death ended up being false.