Man stumbled upon dog’s remains while picking mushrooms in the woods — one tiny clue on the bones led him to a heartbreaking discovery

The man checked local vet clinics, but none had records linking the surgical plates to a pet owner.

PUBLISHED 3 HOURS AGO

(L) Bones found in woods. (R) A sad couple hugging each other. (Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | (L) Andi Edwards, (R) kieferpix)

In October 2024, while walking through a forest near Glade, British Columbia, Canada, a man set out to pick pine mushrooms but stumbled upon something far more unexpected. What he discovered between the trees sparked not only a mystery but also a deeply human moment of compassion and closure. The then 42-year-old came across some dog remains during his hike, with surgical plates attached to them, leading to a heartfelt reunion.

Man sitting beside sheleter made from cloth and stickers in wilderness while stranded. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images| Photo by dikushin) — Man sitting beside shelter made from cloth and stickers in wilderness while stranded. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | dikushin)

As reported by PEOPLE, the man, identified only as Harlen, found a collection of bones scattered on the forest floor. Among them were two surgical plates still attached to what appeared to be the legs of a dog, each marked with serial numbers. “I knew it was someone's pet right away,” Harlen told the outlet. He shared the discovery on his TikTok account, @mother_natures_son, hoping the internet might help connect the remains to their rightful owners. Harlen also visited nearby veterinary clinics, but none kept records that could be traced through the plates.

A sad couple hugging each other. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | SDI Productions)

Despite the dead end, Harlen’s video quickly spread online. Within two weeks, a viewer contacted him with unexpected news: someone had posted a screenshot of the video in a local Facebook group, where a friend of the dog’s owners saw it. “A friend of the owners saw that post and notified them that their missing dog's remains may have been found," he shared. That tip led to confirmation that the remains were indeed those of a mixed-breed dog named Lily, who had gone missing five months earlier in May 2024. Lily’s owners said she ran off during a walk, likely chasing after an animal, and despite days of searching and weeks of hoping, she never returned.

Photo of a late dog in a frame next to a collar on a table (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Uberphotos)

Harlen took great care in collecting Lily’s remains and placed them gently in a wooden box, giving her family the chance to give her a proper farewell. “It's not the happiest ending, but I'm glad that we were able to accomplish what we set out to do and reunite her with her owners,” he said in part two of his “Finding Lily” TikTok series. When he met the owners, they spoke about how many people had followed Lily’s story, and even shared a few photos and a short video of her for Harlen to post as a tribute. But what stayed with Harlen the most was not just the resolution of the mystery; it was the wave of kindness that followed. “I have never in my life had so many people say such nice things to me. It was too much at one point, and I couldn't respond to all the comments, as I usually like to do,” he admitted.

@mother_natures_son I found a dogs bones in the forest.. let's see if we can find the owners and maybe I can bring them here to collect the bones.. that would be sweet. #dogsoftiktok #doglover #lostdog ♬ Shadows of Love That Never Came to Be - BLUM

The video instantly went viral, with numerous TikTok users sharing support, gratitude, and stories of their own lost pets. @teeglor pointed out, "Those surgeries weren’t cheap; this dog was loved." @iamcheekee commented, "The surgery and how clean her teeth were show how loved she was. Thank you for getting her home." @aoguillen30 shared, "My dog ran out of our window of a new house in the middle of nowhere. We looked through fields for miles and days until we were evicted from that house. It's been 3 years and I miss him every day."

For more endearing dog content, follow @mother_natures_son on TikTok.