4-year-old Reunited With His Teddy Bear After Losing It at Dallas Airport

Courtesy of Dallas Love Field Airport

Four-year-old Luke Swafford has been carting around his best friend, a teddy bear aptly named Teddy Bear, since he was one. The bear has been his faithful companion through thick and thin.

So naturally, the bear was in toe as Luke's family was traveling home from a vacation in Colorado.

Teddy had been kept safe in a suitcase, but was taken out after the flight for a quick hug — and that’s when Luke lost track of Teddy.

Luke’s family thought Teddy must have been fallen off a bench as they were loading the car and was left behind. Once they had realized the bear was gone, they drove back that same night to try to find him, but to no avail.

“I was just heartbroken. I’m sobbing like a fool and so sad for Luke. I love Teddy Bear, too,” Luke’s mother, Nikki Swafford, told ABC News. “Anybody who’s had their kids’ favorite toy around all the time, you know they’re a part of your family.”

The family filed a claim with the airport lost and found and checked with the airline in hopes that they could spread the word of the lost bear. They also posted on social media about the whole ordeal. Luckily, an airport employee had picked up Teddy after the family had lost him and was keeping him safe. They sent out a tweet to let them know Teddy was waiting for his best friend to pick him up.

It was another six days before the family could get back to the airport to reclaim Teddy, but the airport staff kept him occupied. Teddy hung out with pilots in airplane cockpits, worked on construction sites and even helped beef up security in the meantime.

Courtesy of Dallas Love Field Airport

Luke was reunited with his best friend on July 26.

“We’re going to stitch our phone numbers on the back so we can’t lose him again,” his mom said.