It’s always heartbreaking when a dog goes missing. After a long time searching everywhere you start to wonder if you’ll ever get your friend back, and if they’re okay.
But sometimes miracles happen, and dogs are located months or even years after they go missing. Like one family, who was reunited with their lost dog a stunning eight years after he went missing.
According to WPTA21, Cara Seiler and Kailey Kuntz adopted their dog Kemo when he was just a puppy. But sadly, two years later, in 2013, the dog went missing from their home in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
They searched everywhere, but there was no sign of Kemo. Years passed, and it would be safe to assume their dog was gone for good — and yet, they never fully gave up hope. “We never really stopped looking, we always hoped, always looking at missing pet posts,” Cara told WPTA.
But their faith was rewarded recently, after they got an unexpected call from Fort Wayne Animal Care and Control, who gave them shocking news: they found Kemo!
“Kaliey and I were crying the whole way from Auburn to Fort Wayne,” Cara said.
They immediately headed to the shelter, and were reunited with their long-lost dog — and even though so much time had passed, he was still theirs: “It was surreal. When we walked in the door, he knew it was us.”
It was a touching moment that left the women shocked — but reunions like this are becoming more and more common thanks to microchipping.
Vets at Fort Wayne Animal Care received Kemo as a stray, but all it took was a scan of his microchip to identify Cara and Kailey as the owners. Even though the chip was put in at least eight years ago, it still worked.
“It is just so important to get your pets microchipped, because it never falls off, it never leaves,” Holly Pasquenelli of Fort Wayne Animal Care told WPTA.
Even so, everyone was still surprised that Kemo was able to return home eight years later: “In my entire career, this is the longest reunion that we’ve been able to have,” Pasquenelli says.
Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control shared the story on Facebook, and took the opportunity to emphasize the importance of getting your pets microchipped, which is an inexpensive and painless way of ensuring your pet can find its way home, no matter how long they’ve been away.
“We are over the moon happy that Kemo was finally reunited with his family! This was such a heartwarming moment to watch and we’re so glad Kemo had a microchip to make this moment possible,” they wrote.
“We hope this story inspires anyone who is missing a pet to never give up hope! We also urge everyone to please get your pets microchipped just in case they were to ever get lost.”
We’re so glad Kemo is home after all these years! It’s clear his owners still love him and we know this reunited family will be making up for lost time.
Remember that microchipping your pets makes reunions like this possible if they ever get lost! Share this story to spread the word!
