'It Was Like He Never Left'

Wes, an 11-month-old dachsund-chihauha mix, owes his life to the kindness of strangers.

And not just once.

The dog went missing and was rescued by caring strangers two times in his short, lively life.

The first time, several months ago, Wes nearly was hit by a car as he darted across a busy Worcester street in Grafton.

Kera Firmin was nearby. She saw the dog and immediately worried for his safety. She tried to grab him but he was too skittish and promptly ran away.

But Firmin didn’t give up. “It took three people to get this dog,’’ she said.

When efforts made by both Firmin and a local shelter failed to locate the dog’s owner, Firmin decided to take him in.

It should have been his happy ending. But his story still had another frightening chapter.

Firmin recently took Wes to the Tufts Farm Fields on the Westborough-Grafton line, where dogs are allowed off-leash in certain areas.

Frightened by two large dogs, Wes ran under the fence and “booked it,’’ Firmin said.

Firmin could not find her four-legged pal. Desperate to find him, she put up posters and took to social media.

Firmin was touched by the number of people who offered support and helped to find Wes. “I couldn’t believe the number of people that wanted him home,’’ she said. “I want to thank everyone.’’

The outreach paid off. Four days after Wes went missing, a Westborough bus driver spotted him and called Firmin.

She could not stop because she had a bus full of students. When the driver returned shortly after to the same spot, Wes was gone.

But her cosmic connection with Wes didn’t stop there. The 13^th day that Wes was missing proved lucky.

The same bus driver found Wes, this time in her own Westborough backyard.

She called Firmin, who “left immediately in my pajamas’’ to bring her buddy home.

Wes had lost weight and was loaded with ticks. But he was otherwise healthy and happy to be home with Firmin, her husband and the other family dogs.

“It was like he never left,’’ she said.

This time, let’s hope he is home for good.