“It’s one of those stories that unless you have a video, I don’t know if anyone would ever believe it.” Ashley Newman tells, after posting a video on TikTok, the story of a puppy who almost miraculously survived a journey of almost 50 kilometers in a car engine.
The protagonist of the misadventure with a happy ending is BonBon, a 4-month-old puppy, who has made a long journey in the engine compartment of a car without the driver knowing anything about it. It was Carrie Gillaspie, digital journalist and host of the Kansas City Royals, who heard the moans coming from a car parked at Kauffman Stadium. The owner of the car, Ashley Newman, opened the bonnet: what a surprise when she saw the muzzle of a small dog popping out. Newman, a community coordinator for the Royals, had driven from Kansas to Missouri unaware that he had a four-legged guest.
Not knowing how to act in this case, he called some colleagues from the Kansas City Royals. Together they freed BonBon (as the little dog was called) from the engine compartment. He was then taken to the Kansas City Pet Project, a nonprofit that specializes in pet care, while Newman scoured Facebook to see if anyone living near her had a missing dog.
A resident of Johnson County, Kansas recognized him and was able to be reunited with her beloved pet. Sadly, the pup may need toe surgery and a possible tail amputation due to traveling in the engine compartment. Despite this, BonBon’s story is a miracle of survival and reunion with his family.