The Hilton Suites in Ocean City posted updates of the stuffed animal hanging by the pool.

Any parent knows the anguish when a child’s favorite toy is left behind. So when the Hilton Suites Ocean City Hotel found a stuffed animal that had been left behind, they did what any good host would do: try to find the owner. On Friday, June 28, the hotel posted a picture of the well-loved plushie on the hotel’s Facebook page in hopes that someone would recognize it.

The message read:

“Please help, I’m lost. I’m being well loved and still having fun but I miss my family.”

Hotel employees showed the little brown stuffed dog a dose of beach hospitality. The hotel posted pictures of the dog enjoying a view of the beach, relaxing on a beach chair by the pool, and enjoying a Starbucks “Puppuccino.” As the weekend carried on, the owner still had not claimed the pup, so the hotel encouraged visitors to the page to share the post and get the message out.

The post was shared more than 12,000 times and got several comments commending the hotel for sharing the story. Several commenters offered to “adopt” the dog if no one claimed it, and another woman offered to post the ad in a local Baltimore Facebook moms' group.

Finally, on Monday, a dad posted a message on the post saying he thought the missing puppy belonged to his daughter. After some back and forth messages, he was able to get in touch with hotel personnel who arranged to have the dog shipped back home.

As it turns out, there is a website dedicated to helping parents find their kids' missing stuffed animals, dolls, and blankets – it’s called “Lost My Lovey.” Created by a Texas mother, the site allows people to sign up and post pictures of missing and found “loveys.” The site even has a section where you can find a replacement for an item you couldn’t recover.

Has your child ever lost a favorite toy on vacation? Did you ever get it back? Tell us in the comments!