Happy ending lost dog tales! Read stories about dogs that have gone missing and were later reunited with their families. Learn from the stories, and if you are missing your own dog right now, hopefully you will be encouraged by the successes of others before you. (If you just like happy ending stories, that's what you will find here.)
For recent stories, visit Lost Dogs Found on Facebook. (Sorry, I'm not posting stories here as much, and am posting a little more often to the Facebook page.)
NJ Woman Reunited With Small Dog Stolen During Date
Dover Police Department
Monday, Apr 21, 2014
A New Jersey woman has been reunited with her small dog and flat-screen TV that were allegedly stolen during her first date with a man she met online.
Violet, the Yorkshire terrier reported missing, was safely returned to her owner.
The Daily Record of Parsippany reports the woman told police her Yorkshire terrier had been returned early Saturday and appeared to be in good health. The dog named Violet had been tied, by its leash, to the television and left in the front yard of her Dover home.
The dog and the television were returned to her a day after she had reported the thefts.
Authorities say the woman went out with the man for the first time Thursday night.
After returning home, she became occupied in another room, leaving the man alone. When she returned, he was gone -- and so were the dog and TV.
Dog Missing Since 2007 Reunited With Owners After 7 Years
by Sara Gates, The Huffington Post
04/10/2014
Welcome home, Buddy!
A black Labrador retriever who went missing during the 2007 California wildfires has finally found his way home. The dog was reunited with his owners in San Diego on April 1 thanks a $10 microchip the family had implanted in the pup as a precaution, according to Fox 5.
Another Happy Tale for the otherwise dreadful MONDAY!!!
Mr. Hartman had his dog "Buddy" microchipped and neutered in 2005 after he was impounded after he escaped from the yard one day.
In 2007 the devestating fires that burned through San Diego County left Mr. Hartman and his family without a home. Mr. Hartman called the Department and updated his contact information and notified us that Buddy was displaced after the fires and they were looking for him.
Seven years later, Buddy comes to the shelter on Gaines Street. When we scanned him for the microchip and called Mr. Hartman right away. The family was absolutely estatic that he was found!!
Mr. Hartman and his wife have since moved to Oklahoma but were in San Diego visiting their son when they got the call. Coincidence or fate?
April 1, 2014, Mr. Hartman and his wife picked up 10 year old Buddy and they left San Diego to head back to Oklahoma. A $10 microchip made it all happen!
John Hartman and his wife, who have since moved to Oklahoma, were visiting their son in the southern California city earlier this month when they received an unusual call from the county's Department of Animal Services. A passerby reportedly found the Lab wandering near Imperial Beach and brought him into a local animal shelter. When workers scanned the dog's microchip they realized the lost pup belonged to the Hartmans and had been missing for nearly seven years.
"We’ve reunited animals from across the country and even the world with their owners, but seven years is one of the longest time periods we were able to reunite a pet and its owner," Dan DeSousa, deputy director of San Diego's Department of Animal Services, told County News Center.
The Hartmans, who lost their home in the wildfires, weren't sure what happened to Buddy after the blaze. Though someone initially found the pup at the time, he escaped and was last seen in the area of Imperial Beach in late 2007. It seems Buddy found a new home, and may have gotten loose when he was spotted on March 28.
Indiana family reunited with lost dog after five years
By Ryan Cumming
Posted: Apr 12, 2014
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) - Imagine losing touch with a beloved family member, and thinking you'll never see them again. But then, thanks to technology, you find them more than four years later. That's what happened to a family in southern Indiana, and WDRB was there Saturday for the reunion.
Outside a Louisville restaurant, Bryianna Portela is being as patient as possible. "So excited to see her," she says. "Wonder if she'll remember us. We're anxiously awaiting, what do you think about how far out they are?"
The reunion she's prayed for, is finally here. "There's a lot of adrenaline," she says. "I haven't even slept well, just kind of building up to it."
Nearly five years ago, their boxer mix, Bella, went missing from their home in southern Indiana. On Monday, April 7th, a call from a shelter more than 300 miles away. A microchip scan showed Bella was alive and well in Alabama.
Bryianna talked about the phone call she'd been waiting for. "They said 'are you so and so at this address and this number?' and I said 'yes', and I said 'well the last dog that I had micro-chipped, was this dog and it looked like this' and she sent a picture and I sent a picture and we verified that it was my dog and I was just shocked."
Her prayers were answered, and with the help of the shelter and Heart to Heart rescue volunteers, Bella is back in town.
"I see her, she has a pink collar on," said Portela, as she waited in a parking lot outside. An eager mom, and by the looks of the wagging tail, an excited pup. "It's been such a long time, my old friend."
Long enough that it may take time to adjust, especially since Bella was only about a 1 ½ when she went missing. "Bella, Bella! I wish I knew what they called her before but she'll have to get used to Bella again."
Lost dog returns home after 10 years!
Peter's beloved pup was gone but not forgotten
Peter Pignolet, 43, Gold Coast, Qld
December 2012
I was 33 when I adopted Inka. I'll never forget scooping her into my arms when she was just eight weeks old. After I moved to Sydney from Airlie Beach in Qld, it was just the two of us. Every morning she'd howl mournfully when I left for work and sometimes she even cheekily jumped the fence to follow me.
One night, Inka didn't come home. The next morning I called countless vets, hoping that they'd picked her up during the night. Inka had been fitted with a microchip, so if anybody found her it would be easy to reunite us. But sadly, as the weeks turned to months, I realised that I simply had to accept the truth. Inka wasn't coming back.
Me with Chai, Barney and Inka
A year later I left Sydney, moving around the country a bit before finally settling on the Gold Coast. With a dog-shaped hole in my life I decided it was time for me to adopt another pet. Choosing a sweet German shepherd cross, Chai, he became my new partner in crime. That was until I met Janneke, 38, at a Christmas party three years ago.
When I discovered she was a dog lover too, I knew that she was the girl for me. 'This is Barney,' she said, smiling as she introduced me to her gorgeous Tasmanian sheepdog. Days later, we decided to introduce our barking brood. After a few growls, they soon became best mates.
Janneke’s a dog lover too – our pups were a big part of our wedding
When we tied the knot a year later, it was only right that Chai and Barney were there with us, handsomely dressed in tuxedos but I never forgot about Inka.
Then last year, three days before Christmas, something strange happened. I received a voice message from the Byron Bay council. 'We've got Inka.' The ranger explained that they'd tracked me down from her microchip after finding her caged in the back of a ute. She was weak and hungry but alive!
Driving straight down to the council, I could hardly believe my eyes when they carried my darling dog out to meet me. Weighing just 16 kilos, Inka was awfully frail, her skin was covered in sores and her teeth were rotten.
At home, I washed the filth from her fur and gave her a bowl of food. While she didn't respond to her name, she followed me around everywhere. Even though a decade had passed, it was obvious that we still had a very special connection.
A year on, Inka now weighs a healthy 30 kilos and has bonded well with the boys. I guess I'll never know just what happened to my friend for all that time - but one thing's for certain. With us, her future's bright.
Lost dog returned to owners after 17 months
By Jennifer Kohlhepp, Princeton Packet Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
WEST WINDSOR — The Cruz family thought it was an April Fool’s joke.
The Hillsborough residents received a phone call that their family’s dog, which was missing for 17 months, had been found on Tuesday.
”We were thinking what a cruel April Fool’s joke but they actually found Wesley and because of his microchip he was returned to us after 17 months,” Miguel Cruz said.Earlier that morning, at 7:20 a.m. on April 1, West Windsor police officer Lee Brodowski was dispatched to attend to a loose dog in the area of Manor Ridge and Stonelea in West Windsor.
”He retrieved a very friendly and very large Labrador,” Lt. Robert Garofalo said. “The dog jumped right into the back of his patrol car and was more than happy to go for a ride.”
The dog, later identified as Wesley, was transported to Weber’s Boarding Training facility where staff could read his microchip.
”Dispatcher (Austin) Fountain utilized this information to obtain his owner information,” Lt. Garofalo said.
“Dispatcher Fountain contacted Myra Cruz and inquired about her lost dog. Mrs. Cruz believed the phone call may have been an April Fool’s prank as her dog had been missing since November 2012. Dispatcher Fountain assured her it was not a prank.”
The entire Cruz family, Myra and Miguel and their 12-year-old son Sebastian, immediately made the approximately 18-mile trek from Hillsborough, where the dog disappeared, to West Windsor police headquarters.
”I’ve never seen a kid throw down his supper as fast as he did,” Mr. Cruz said of how his son reacted to the news. “He was thrilled. He couldn’t believe it. He was jumping up and down.”
The Cruzes met Wesley in the lobby of police headquarters.
”Wesley was clearly happy to be back with his family,” Lt. Garofalo said.
Lt. Garofalo and the family both said the dog appeared to have been cared for as he was overweight and was not showing signs of being outside for a long time.
”Whoever took care of him did a pretty good job,” Mr. Cruz said. “He looks pretty fat. We’ll get him back into shape again.”
Wesley went missing from the yard two days before Hurricane Sandy. Mr. Cruz thought the pooch ran off following the scent of an animal but got very upset when the dog didn’t return home.
”We thought maybe he got run over by a car or a deer killed him in the field,” Mr. Cruz said. “We’re so happy he survived and was picked up and returned to us because of his chip. We were so sad; so distraught for 17 months. We talked about him until the very end and never gave up hope.” When Wesley returned home all of the scents, sights and sounds familiar to him set in and “this morning he was all smiles like he was saying, ‘Hey, I’m back,’” Mr. Cruz said on Wednesday.
Officer Brodowski as well as others in the police department were very happy about this great reunion.
”It is positive stories like this that makes everyone’s day,” Lt. Garofalo said.
