A dog who was missing for 12 years was finally reunited with her family this month after someone found the animal who called authorities on Feb. 10.
The dog, identified as 13-year-old Zoey, was dropped off on a rural property just outside Stockton. The person who found the missing animal said the dog looked "old and unwell," a Facebook post by the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office said.
Missing for 12 Years
The sheriff's office added that Animal Service Officer Brandon Levin was the one who retrieved Zoey and scanned her microchip. The officer discovered that the animal had been reported missing since 2010 and was originally from Lafayette, California. The animal's hometown was roughly 60 miles away from where she was found.
Michelle, Zoey's owner, said she was in quite a shock to discover that her pet was still alive and was able to come back home. The animal has been gone for so long that the company that produced the microchip that led to the find announced in 2015 that Zoey was "deceased" in their records, as per Fox News.
The dog's owner said that her family adopted Zoey when she was only six months old and noted that she had a twin sister. The dog lived with Michelle's family for about six months before the tragic incident. When the family went to the store for about 20 minutes and came back, they were surprised to see that the dog was nowhere to be found.
Fortunately, the dog's owners still had the same contact information listed under the microchip despite moving to Benecia. The sheriff's office said they were able to contact Michelle and set up a reunion in Rio Vista. The owner said she was extremely excited to have her dog back after more than a decade finally, Cleveland reported.
Dog Goes Home
In a similar story, a dog named Buddy, who hailed from Mississippi, spent ten months in the hospital after he was accidentally set on fire in April and is now able to go back home. In a Facebook post on Tuesday, the Tunica Humane Society said that it was a wondrous day that they have prayed for.
The shelter added that despite the horrific injuries that the dog sustained during the incident, he stayed strong and continued to trust humans who were only trying to help him. They said that the animal taught caretakers about not giving up in the face of adversity.
On Apr. 22, Buddy was discovered in East Tate County with an extension cord twisted around his neck and his face set on fire. Medical experts conducted several skin grafts on the dog at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Mississippi State University, and he was given new skin on his snout and a fresh lease on life.
According to Southern Living, after months of searching for the perfect home, Buddy finally left the hospital on Tuesday night with Dr. Betsy Swanson, the veterinarian who was responsible for treating him. The shelter wrote that Swanson has been with the dog every step of the way to his complete recovery.
