reunions

In October 2010, Helen Smith’s Parson Russell Terrier named Snowy was stolen from her Hook, Hampshire, England, backyard. The pet owner searched for the dog, but after months of empty results, Smith convinced herself she had lost her four-legged companion forever. Four years later, on June 17, 2014, Snowy was found 40 miles away from home.

On July 6, 2014, Grand Rapids, Mich., was hit by an EF-1 tornado and the devastating twister destroyed homes and anything in its path, including a dog boarding facility. A the time of the disaster, employees were able to relocate 60-70 dogs to a nearby building, but in the relocation Puckett, an eight-year-old Lab/Border collie mix who got spooked and ran away.

Just as in any Fairy Tale this story has a happy ending.

Two and a half years ago, Prince Charming, a then six-year-old pug got lost from his Chicago home. His owner, Christina Parrilla, looked for her dog but never found him, and after months of coming up empty, she gave up and convinced herself she would never see her dog again.

For two months Joni Leviner from City of Dillon, South Carolina, searched for her missing two-year-old Cocker Spaniel named Chip, and during all that time, she never gave up hope her pet would be found alive.

The dog went missing in April when a contractor working in Leviner’s home, accidentally left the gate open. When the dog got lost, the pet owner was devastated but felt she needed to anything and everything to find her beloved four-legged friend. She went as far as hiring a pet detective from Lost Pet Professionals to help her locate her beloved Chip.

When Arlington Police Officers received various calls about a dangerous Pit bull roaming the streets they responded immediately. Thanks to their dangerous dog training classes, Sgt. Gary Carter and Officer Heather Gibson were prepared to deal with the “dangerous” pet, yet, when they met the dog, they realized the animal was not dangerous at all, he was just thirsty and tired.

When the police officers arrived at the last location where the white Pit bull had been seen, they clearly recognized the pet was dehydrated and needed help.

For Emily Massey, it is a mystery how her 16-year-old Jack Russell terrier named Charlie ended up stranded in Tennessee’s Harpeth River, but she is glad the senior pet was rescued and is back home.

On June 15, 2014, Massey took her elderly, blind and deaf dog with her, to help clean out a barn on a farm property near the intersection of Old Hickory Boulevard and Hillsboro Road in Nashville.

For Robert Gabbert, a soldier based in Fort Carson, Colo., and deployed to Afghanistan this past March, finding out his heartless ex-girlfriend sold his three-year-old Shiba Inu pet named Baxter on Craigslist, was one of the darkest days he has experienced. Fortunately, the veteran was able to find Baxter’s buyers and the two will be reunited once his tour of service is over.

Recent heavy rains in Serbia have flooded towns and forced area residents to evacuate. In Zabrežje, the Sava River crested and locals were relocated to a shelter in nearby Belgrade. However, families with pets were forced to leave their four-legged family members behind. Dona, a seven year-old mixed-breed dog, is one of many abandoned pets, however the pet was determined to get back with her family, and somehow she swam across the river, then walked a few kilometers into Boljevci and found her owners.

When the Jeter family from Lake Worth, Fla., came home this past February, their hearts broke when they realized their Pit bull named Phantom was missing. They searched their neighborhood day and night, but the dog seemed to be forever gone. Three months later, Phantom was spotted running on a busy street and taken to Animal Care and Control, and thanks to his microchip and Facebook, the Jeters were reunited with their dog.