Single Dad Panics After Daughter's Hamster Escapes, Sends Her String of Hilarious Text Messages: 'God Is Good I Will Trust Him'
A college student expected the worst after she picked up the phone and heard her father crying on Sunday, but the text conversation that occurred afterward quickly went viral, highlighting a softer side to the “strict” single dad.
Steph Veerman, 19, began her sophomore year this fall at Emmanuel College in Boston, according to BuzzFeed News, but when she moved into the dorm, she had to leave her beloved hamster, Chester, behind with her mother.
Earlier this semester, however, Steph’s mom “evicted” Chester and the little guy went to live with her father, 53-year-old Daniel Veerman, BuzzFeed reported.
Even though Daniel was initially hesitant to accept his new housemate, his heart quickly softened toward Chester.
“At first, I wasn’t too keen on him,” he told BuzzFeed. “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.”
Soon, the two established a routine. On Sundays, Daniel Veerman would place Chester in an exercise ball while he cleaned out his cage and let him run around in the office.
This past Sunday, however, things went awry.
When Veerman went to put Chester back in his cage, the hamster was nowhere to be found. He had somehow maneuvered himself out of the exercise ball.
After frantically searching for his daughter’s pet, Daniel finally decided to break the news to Steph, telling her there had been an “emergency.”
“I had a meltdown,” he told BuzzFeed. “I was having a freaking heart attack.”
“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.”
When Steph heard her father crying on the other side of the line, she initially thought someone in the family had died.
Steph tried to console her father on the phone, but he was both determined to find Chester and extremely concerned.
In a hilarious string of texts, Daniel continued to give his daughter updates on his search and rescue mission.
“This is the absolute worst ever. I’m never going to forgive myself if he doesn’t come back,” Daniel texted at one point. “If I can’t find him today I’m not going to work tomorrow so I can keep looking.”
“Dad- he’s just a hamster,” Steph responded. “I don’t blame you at ALL. you shouldn’t skip work you are a lawyer and he is a hamster.”
The search triggered memories of when Daniel, then just 9 years old, lost his family dog.
“I’m calling out in my house for a freaking hamster,” he texted.
But after a few hours of fruitless searching, Daniel reminded himself of God’s goodness and tried a new approach.
“God is good I will trust him,” he said. “I know he likes peanut butter. Peanuts. That’s a start.”
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 pic.twitter.com/JmTJl6jFBI
— Steph Veerman (@stephyj725) November 25, 2019
Daniel set up traps around the room using Chester’s peanut butter.
The traps ultimately worked, and Daniel found Chester near a book about Richard Nixon.
“I’m just thankful to God. Prayed all day,” he texted, adding a picture of Chester peaking up from his cage.
“He’s safe now. Good Lord. I was a mess.”
for all asking, this is Chester!! He’s the light of my life and not “just a hamster,” however, my dad was having a panic attack so i tried to calm him down by saying that!! pic.twitter.com/tcesO2oCxk
— Steph Veerman (@stephyj725) November 26, 2019
Steph, meanwhile, shared the hilarious and heartwarming text conversation on Twitter.
“This goes to prove how truly pure my father is,” she wrote.
Her initial tweet quickly went viral, garnering over 444,000 likes and 111,000 retweets.
The ordeal was especially amusing to Steph because it was not what many people would expect from her father.
“My parents are divorced and my dad is a single dad, and he’s the opposite of you what you would think seeing him in this situation,” she told BuzzFeed.
“He’s conservative, Catholic, a lawyer, and usually strict, but when it comes to animals and babies, he has the biggest soft spot.”
But Chester has helped her dad adjust to being an empty nester.
“I am an empty-nester now, and rather than having my kids around all the time to take care of, Chester is the substitute,” he said.
“I transferred a lot of parenting to the animal. I felt like I was taking care of my daughter, so when he disappeared, I panicked.”
Thankfully, Chester is back where he should be, and Daniel can continue focusing his parenting skills on the sneaky little guy.
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