Read The Hilarious Texts A Frantic Father Sent His Daughter After Their Hamster Went Missing

By Matthew Russell

When Steph Veerman, 19, received a text from her father Daniel on a Sunday afternoon, her heart sank.

“Please call me [as] soon as you get this it’s an emergency,” Daniel Veerman wrote.

“He couldn’t get out sentences,” Steph told BuzzFeed News.

Daniel had been watching over his daughter’s beloved pet hamster Chester while she was away at Emmanuel College. Chester was kicked out of Daniel’s ex-wife’s (Steph’s mother) house just a few weeks before. Daniel wasn’t a fan of the furball initially, but Chester soon broke down Daniel’s icy resolve.

Source: Pexels
When his daughter’s hamster escaped, Daniel Veerman was quite worried.


“At first, I wasn’t too keen on him,” Daniel said. “I grew up with German shepherds. I’ve never had, you know, when I first got it, it was like a mouse. It wouldn’t be my first choice of pet. But then I got attached. And even more because you’re taking care of it for your daughter.”

It was about two months into the arrangement that tragedy struck. As Daniel spoke to Steph, he fought back tears. He had to explain to his daughter that Chester was missing.

“I had a meltdown,” he said. “I was having a freaking heart attack.”


Just like he did every Sunday, Daniel had been cleaning Chester’s cage when the animal escaped.

“It was a nightmare,” he said. “I was calling him, screaming his name, thinking maybe he knows his name. I was looking with a high-powered flashlight.”

After sharing the bad news with Steph over the phone, he continued to reach for Chester, texting his daughter as the situation developed. Meanwhile, Steph took screenshots of the texts and shared them on Twitter.

It wasn’t before long that they started to get noticed.


“My dad took over my hamster once i went back to college and ended up getting really attached and today he escaped and this goes to prove how truly pure my father is,” Steph wrote.

Oh my God I’m so sorry honey I’m so sorry I’m looking everywhere.

I’m so wicked sorry I’ll keep looking all day

I Can’t believe this

This is the absolute worst ever

I’m Never going to forgive myself if he doesn’t come back

Should I keep looking for him or is that going to scare him into hiding

If I can’t find him today I’m not going to work tomorrow so I can keep looking

As Daniel exasperated, Steph reassured her father that everything would be fine.


“Dad- he’s just a hamster. I don’t blame you at ALL. You shouldn’t skip work you are a lawyer and he is a hamster.”

This is my biggest screwup ever. I will make it right.

I put him in his ball a whole bunch of times. I should have checked.

God is good I will trust him

I know he likes peanut butter

Peanuts

That’s a start

Daniel doubled down on his search and employed an expert-level tracking technique. He scattered flour around a pile of peanut butter and treats, and waited.

“Right after nightfall, I saw him run across the floor and said, ‘Thank god,’” Daniel said. “I came back and saw him standing on a book, cleaning himself, and I grabbed him.”
Chester was giving himself a bath near a book on President Richard Nixon when Daniel found him.

The frenetic search was over.

“I’m just thankful to God. Prayed all day,” he texted, including a photo of Chester back in his cage. “He’s safe now. Good lord. I was a mess. This little bastard destroyed me today.”

The Veerman family is happy Chester has been found, and so is the Twitterverse. By mid-December, Steph’s posts had been retweeted over 115,000 times.

A Woman Established Whispering Willows to Provide Hospice Home for Senior Dogs: Click “Next” below!

Matthew Russell
Matthew Russell is a West Michigan native and with a background in journalism, data analysis, cartography and design thinking. He likes to learn new things and solve old problems whenever possible, and enjoys bicycling, spending time with his daughters, and coffee.
Whizzco for FAP