A dog that went missing five years ago has been found at a truck stop, over 900 miles away, and is now back with his family in Nebraska.
Inmaculada Jackman experienced heartbreak when her dog Chong escaped from their home in Lincoln in 2021, but her family never lost hope of finding him.
“I kept searching for him,” Jackman shared, recalling how they drove around their old neighborhood in hopes of spotting him. “We’d look for anyone who might be walking him.”
Five years later, the family’s longing was reignited when a friend saw a post on social media about Chong being found behind a truck stop in Indiana, approximately 1,042 miles from home.
Jackman reached out to Hendricks County Animal Shelter to adopt her long-lost pet, only to discover that a microchip had been implanted in Chong during his time away. This led to a somewhat awkward situation where the shelter staff had to inform Jackman that they had contacted the microchip owner. However, if that person didn’t respond within three days, then Chong could come home.
“They were hoping and praying they wouldn’t hear back from anyone else,” Jackman recounted.
Once the waiting period passed without any response, Jackman was free to bring Chong back home, reuniting him with his family as well as his new sibling, Choi Choi, a dog they adopted after Chong went missing.
Video footage captured at the shelter reveals Chong’s initial bewilderment upon seeing Jackman after such a long time, but soon enough, he snuggled up to her and seemed happy to be back.
Jackman hopes this story can inspire others who are missing pets, reminding them to hold onto hope. “Never lose hope,” she advised. “Five years later, we found him.”
