It’s always heartbreaking when a dog runs away from home, but it’s important to not give up hope that you’ll see your friend again. Sometimes pets return in unexpected ways when we least expect them.
Sometimes they return to our lives months or even years after they disappeared. That was the case recently, after one family reunited with their dog who disappeared seven years ago.
Orange County Animal Services, in Florida, responded to an abandoned dog call earlier this month, and discovered a senior dog left behind in a hotel room. She had severe arthritis, and was too frail to even walk.
In a Facebook post they described her as an “incredibly sweet” dog who “allowed us to care for her as best we could.” Initially, they were concerned about the dog’s future: they knew finding a new home for such an old and frail dog would be a nearly impossible challenge.
But thankfully, it turned out she had a family already — who had been waiting years for her return.
Orange County Animal Services discovered that the dog had a microchip — and were stunned to discover she was owned by a family in Texas. When they called the family, they “gave them the surprise of a lifetime.”
It turns out the dog was a 12-year-old named Jazzy, who had gone missing 7 years ago after being scared off by fireworks.
“They searched for her for a long time, and even after seven years, they never gave up hope,” Orange County Animal Services wrote.
The family was informed about Jazzy’s old age and health issues, but they still didn’t hesitate to get their dog back at last. One of the owners immediately got on a plane from Texas to Florida to get Jazzy.
Reunited at last, it was clear there was no love lost over the years: “It was a tearful reunion, and it was incredible to watch Jazzy come to life at her owner’s voice,” Orange County Animal Services wrote.
“Jazzy couldn’t take her eyes off him. She licked his hand again and again and inched her body as close as she could to him. After all those years, her heart still remembered, and was finally whole.”
No one knows what Jazzy has been up to the past 7 years, or how she ended up all the way in Florida from Texas. But the important thing is that she’s finally home.
For Orange County Animal Services, it was a very happy ending and a glimmer of hope in what can be a job full of “heartache and heartbreak.”
“Every now and then, our staff pulls off a small miracle, and it reminds us all why we do what we do,” they wrote.
What a heartwarming story. We’re so glad Jazzy is finally home after all these years!
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