A dog that went missing in Colorado in 2020 was recently found on a road in New Mexico, about 800 miles away.
Puppy Patches and his owner Benjamin Baxter had a heartwarming reunion over the weekend, four years after he went missing from a friend’s home, local news stations reported. KRQE reports.
The dog had been staying with a friend in Callahan, Colo., after Mr. Baxter moved to Nebraska for work and moved into a home where pets were not allowed.
Baxter was looking for a new home for Patches, but the free-willed dog disappeared before he could bring him to Nebraska, the newspaper said.
“She was like Houdini all her life. And we adventured all over the country together. So it seemed like it wasn’t unusual for her to run away and chase butterflies and rabbits. But she always came home,” Baxter told the TV station.
But this time it was different.
“By the seventh day, I was like, oh no, I’m never going to find this dog again,” Baxter said.
It may have taken a little longer than expected, but Baxter finally received word that her dog had been found.
His wife called to let him know that Patches was at the Mesilla Valley Animal Services Center in Las Cruces, New Mexico. She was found living as a stray on the streets of Anthony City by local animal control authorities and brought to a shelter.
The shelter tested the microchip and found information about Baxter.
“I’m looking through these pictures and I’m like, ‘This is my dog,'” he said. “I’ve never seen this dog before. I thought this dog had probably been dead for the last four years. And just seeing her, I mean, it was mind-boggling. I can’t explain how crazy it was.”
Patches, now 10, made the long journey from New Mexico to Nebraska with help from friends in Colorado and others who cared for him when he went missing.
Four years and many kilometers later, on Sunday, the cat was finally returned to its owner.
“I’m not a big cryer, but just seeing my dog back in front of me brought tears to my eyes,” Baxter told KRQE.
The shelter that helped reunite the pair is using Baxter and Patches’ story as proof of the technology and urging pet owners to microchip their loved ones.
“This reunion is a poignant reminder of the enduring power of love and the incredible role technology plays in reuniting lost companions,” Mesilla Valley Animal Services Center Executive Director Clint Tucker wrote to KRQE. I wrote in an email. “Micochip your pet and keep your pet’s information up to date.”
