Back in 2015, the family’s house was hit by a missile during some fighting that broke out in the heavily contested area. They had to flee, and in a hurry. They just weren’t going to be allowed to bring Fox with them. They packed up what little was left and were off to Montreal, Quebec. When there, the young son in the family wrote to SPCA International to tell them about Fox, and see if there was any way they could help.

He sent the following in an email:

“I left Syria urgently with my mom and my brother, but we left our lovely dog, Fox, in Aleppo, Syria. We left him with our dad in a very dangerous area named Syrian El-Jadideh. Please help us bring our Fox [to Montreal]. Mom [is] always crying. She is extremely worried about Fox.”

The amazing people at SPCA International were able to find Fox, believe it or not, not far from where the family home was.  Once they were sure that they actually had him, the long and arduous journey home began.  It would be a very difficult trip out of Syria to Damascus, Turkey.  Once there, he took a car to Lebanon, and then finally to Germany.  Fox was put on a plane from there to Canada, where he was reunited with his family.

The post Dog Rescued from Syria Is Reunited With Family in Canada appeared first on ILoveDogsAndPuppies.

Last week, completely out of the blue, Dove got a phone call from a vet clinic near the town of Brewton, Alabama.  Someone had found Charlie, and when they scanned his chip, Dove’s information came up!  There was no doubt about it, Charlie had been found, and would be coming home.

“I was shocked, overwhelmed. I cried,” Dove said in a news interview Thursday.  “It’s amazing.”

No one is sure just where Charlie has been all this time.  Ten years is a very long time for a dog to be on their own, but Charlie seems no worse for the wear.  He’s a bit gray in the fur here and there and is in need of medical treatment for a minor issue, but he’ll be on his way home soon.

“It will be a lengthy road for him, but he’ll be home,” said Dove.

Dove was living in a different place back when Charlie first went missing.  Charlie is of a breed that is commonly used as a hunting dog, and can be very expensive to adopt and train.  Dove believes that someone took Charlie off of their property because of this.

“He’s an expensive hunting dog.  We just kept him as a pet,” said Dove.  “He was a spoiled rotten pet.  I was shocked and at first I thought ‘This has got to be a scam’ because it’s been 10 years.  They sent me a picture and I talked with them, and it’s my Charlie.”

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Christina Martinez wrote at Facebook, saying “We gave up hope on microchipping but now, after 2 years, we are so glad we did it! How she got from Montebello to Riverside remains a mystery but at this point we are so glad to have her back!”

RCAS tells the story:

The Martinez family’s pet, Foxy, went missing two years ago. Riverside County Animal Services Officer Lorena Barron scooped up the German shepherd mix on Monday afternoon in a northwest section of the city of Riverside, CA near Rivera and Market streets.

Officer Barron scanned the dog and discovered an AVID microchip. A phone number was provided and Riverside County Animal Services called the number and made contact with the very-surprised Martinez family.
Larry and Christina Martinez and their two daughters, Lauren, 8, and Jasmine, 3, rushed out to the Western Riverside County/City Animal Shelter in Jurupa Valley  on Tuesday to find out if, indeed, Foxy was finally found.

When Foxy, now about 5 years old, went missing, the family posted pictures throughout their neighborhood and visited local shelters. Christina Martinez said she was so excited about the news that she allowed her oldest daughter to leave school earlier than normal today.

Within moments of reaching Foxy’s kennel run to make a positive identification, Christina Martinez said she knew immediately that it was her long-lost pet.

“Yes! That’s her!” Mrs. Martinez said. Foxy did a little dance, wagged her tale and raised her chin, awaiting the scratches Mrs. Martinez and her family used to give Foxy on her chin and chest area. “Oh, we missed you! Lauren is waiting for you!”

Later, when an animal care technician walked Foxy out to the rest of the Martinez clan, Foxy sat at Mr. Martinez’s feet, then raised her front paws and wrapped them around his right wrist in what looked like a handshake and embrace.

“She missed you!” Mrs. Martinez said. “Look, she’s hugging you.”

The post Foxy is Reunited With Her Family After Two Years appeared first on ILoveDogsAndPuppies.

Shortly before Christmas, a little boy’s beloved dog, Kase, went missing.  He and his family searched the neighborhood for him, but couldn’t find him.  Recently his mom did, and the reunion he has with Kase will completely melt your heart.

Paula Williams of Lubbock, Texas, was devastated for her son, who was dearly missing his dog.  About a month later, she saw Kase at a neighbor’s home.  She asked them to give him back, and discovered that they had been caring for him since he had gotten loose.

“He was found right down the street from our house. A nice family had taken him in and kept him warm and fed,” she said on Facebook.

When Paula arrived to pick up her son from his grandma’s house, she had the best surprise ever.

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In western Massachusetts, police are calling a dog a “real-life Lassie.”  Almost out of nowhere, a random dog approached an officer, barking his little head off and making quite a commotion.  His friend was trapped and needing rescue, and if he hadn’t gone for help, the story might have been quite different.

The little dog lead the officer to a very icy, 30-foot deep embankment.  That’s when the officers discovered the dog’s canine friend stuck at the bottom, and tangled up in the undergrowth.

The officers called in the fire department.  They brought a large ladder truck to easily access the dog stuck below, and make sure he was rescued.  After pulling the dog out, they took him to a local vet for a medical evaluation.

Although the dog was very scared, and did have some scrapes and bumps from the fall and subsequent tumble in the underbrush, he was otherwise in good health.  The family that the dogs belong to were then contacted, and a happy family was once again made whole.

The family said that the dogs had run off together hours earlier.  Their human mother unfortunately had a medical emergency, and while emergency services were taking her out of the house and to the hospital, the dogs bolted.  Police officers that showed up to the home tried to corral the dogs, but ultimately failed, and the dogs got away.  No further information on the condition of their human mom had been issued at the time this article was written.

In a press release, the police department that helped rescue the dogs said, “Apparently, any dog in the right circumstances can turn into Lassie.”

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Remember Harley, the senior Dachshund lovingly left at a shelter in a basket with a note from his elderly owners who could no longer afford to care for him?  Rescue group Leave No Paws Behind took him in and found his family.  The dog, whose real name is Otto, will have expenses for the rest of his life paid for by the rescue, and will be reunited with his family at the end of this month.

Less than a week ago, the 13-year-old Dachshund was left wrapped in a blanket in a basket outside Baldwin Park Animal Shelter in California.  Attached to his basket was a heartbreaking letter:

“Our dog is 13½ years old.  He is sick starting yesterday with bloody stools, vomiting.  Had a skin disease for a few years.  We are both seniors, sick with no money.  We cannot pay for vet bills, or to put him to sleep.  He has never been away from us in all those years.  He cannot function without us.  Please put him to sleep.”

Instead of honoring the request to have him put to sleep, the shelter contacted Leave No Paws Behind, a non-profit, all-breed, all-foster rescue group that specializes in senior and terminally ill animals.  They took the dog in and called him Harley.  He was taken to a veterinarian, who determined that not only could he be treated, but that he likely has a couple more years of life left in him.

Because Harley seemed so loved and well-cared for, LNPB wanted to find his owners to see if something could be arranged.  Group founder and CEO Toby Wisneski reached out to the public, and his owners came forward after seeing their story on the news.

The couple, who wishes to remain anonymous, explained that they are both ill and cannot afford their own treatments or tires for their vehicle to get them help.  When their dog, whose full name is Otto Wolfgang Maximus, got sick, they were told by a vet that costly tests needed to be run.  They could not even afford to have him euthanized.  They were “hysterical,” and didn’t know what else to do except leave him at a shelter.

“My wife was in tears, as she left him, saying, ‘I am sorry, I am sorry,’” the man explained in a phone interview.  “We are retired, I am handicapped, and my wife is not well.  We live week to week, and can’t even afford our medical bills. We can’t even go to the dentist any more… we have no money.”

The rescue wanted to see Otto back where he belonged, and told the couple that they would return him, and pay for his food and healthcare for the rest of his life provided they could stop by for weekly visits.

“Ninety eight percent of the rescues we take in belong with us,” Toby said.  “There are 1-2 percent of owners who love their animals very much and just believe they have no other option but to surrender them.”

The couple lives outside of California and was on a ministry trip when they dropped Otto off.  They plan to pick him up at the end of the month or when they have enough money to purchase desperately needed tires for their vehicle.  LNPB is working to see that this problem is solved, too.

“We thought he was dead, but he lives,” the husband said. “He’s being well taken care of and, boy, we’re just so extremely grateful.”

LNPB is seeing more and more pets left in their care as owners’ failing health and finances leave them unable to care for their beloved pets.  Toby wants people to know that if they are good, loving owners, the rescue wants to help them so they are not forced to surrender their family members.  If you would like to donate to Leave No Paws Behind, please click here.

Los Angeles Local News | FOX 11 LA KTTV

Update:

“We are thrilled to announce that Otto’s mommy and daddy will very soon be receiving a brand new set of tires! I want to thank all of the amazing human angels that offered to help them, you truly, on a day to day basis, continue to restore my faith in the goodness and kindness of human kind! We were contacted by someone in the “tire industry” who offered to help! We will of course announce Otto’s big reunion when we have the absolute pleasure of placing him back in their loving arms! Otto will have to remain in the hospital for another 10-12 days under treatment before he will be released into their foster care! Thank you again for all you do for the animals! tw, LNPB”

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“He knows that she ain’t coming home cause he was there when the fatal day happened,” said Dow in a news interview.

Bullet was with Moore at the time of the shooting, and had been with Moore every step of the way through going to classes at the college.  When the gunman struck down nine others at the school, Bullet stayed right by More’s side the whole time, even at the risk of losing is own life.

In total, the gunman killed nine people, and Moore was one of them.  The day after the shootings took place, deputies from the local county sheriff’s office brought Bullet to Dow.

“He’s been acting really droopy.  He goes to her door and lays down,” Dow said.  “Because he’s used to going in the room and sleeping in the room at night.  He was her world.  He was not only her dog, (he was) her best friend besides me.”

Even though Moore was in a wheelchair due to severe back problems, she trained Bullet (named by his previous humans) herself to be a service dog.  He was more than just a helper, he was with Moore always, as a loving and supportive friend.

Dow is happy to know that Bullet wasn’t physically harmed in the shooting.  He’s also happy to know that Bullet, having been so supportive to Moore, was there with her for her final moments.

“It felt good to know he was still alive,” Dow said.  “He survived because it’s a piece of her.  Bullet became a piece of Sarena.  I was happy to get him back. I was ecstatic.”

Moore had been attending classes t the community college to obtain a business degree.  She was planning on owning and operating a ranch, dedicated to training and maintaining horses for therapy animal services.

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Wednesday morning, volunteers with the Lost and Found Pets of Hillsborough County got a call about the unlikely duo meandering around Merrily Circle in Seffner.

When the rescuers tried to put the dog inside a truck, the pig began screaming.  It appeared that he did not want to be separated from his pal.

Owner Willie Landry came forward to claim them.  He said K 2 and Petey the pig grew up together, and escaped through a fence the day before.

Apparently Petey thinks he’s just one of the dogs.  There was a third dog back at home who was very morose without his other thirds.

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A Rowlett High School student by the name of Zack Pavageau is being considered a local hero for locating and returning a dog named Cujo to his family.  The young man also was given a $1,000 scholarship, and a driving course gift card.

Back on August the 27th, Cujo some how got out of his yard, and was nowhere to be seen.  That’s when a massive search campaign started to take shape.  Using both social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter, “Team Cujo” as it was called began an exhaustive search.

This past Thursday, four weeks since Cujo went missing, he was finally found by Pavageau.  Team Cujo was so overjoyed to finally know that the dog was safe and sound, and wanted to reward him.

Pavageau had been out doors when by luck, he came across Cujo.  Then he called his father, who called Cujo’s family.  After confirming that the dog they had found actually was Cujo, he got brought to a local animal hospital for a check up.

Cujo was put on an IV solution to get him re-hydrated and help replace some of the missing nutrients he needed after being on his own for four weeks, surviving outside.  Otherwise, Cujo is in very good health, and as one could imagine, Cujo’s humans are more than happy to have him back.

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When service dog Kai went missing from his home last November, owner Alexandra Melnick was distraught.  But after many months of ardent searching and Facebook posting, Kai was found hundreds of miles away, and has finally been sent home to his overjoyed family.

Melnick served a nine-month deployment in Afghanistan and came home with a traumatic brain injury and PTSD.  She got a German shepherd puppy and trained him to be a service dog.

“He helps me with things like PTSD and insomnia, she told ABC 10News in December. “He puts me to sleep. He wakes me up for nightmares.”

Kai was stolen from Melnick’s Vista backyard the day after Thanksgiving.  She set up a Facebook and GoFundMe page to get the word out and have money for a detective and a reward.  She handed out thousands of fliers and drove thousands of miles, looking for him.  Months later, she still hadn’t given up.

“I spend my days searching for him, I spend my nights dreaming about him and having nightmares still and I really hope that we get him home,” Melnick told San Diego 6 in April. “He saved my life, I owe this to him. I want to do anything in my power to get him home.”

In August Kai was found, and a week ago, a happy update was posted by Bring Kai Home:

I want to thank every single one of you for all your constant support and help. I also want to say from the bottom of my heart how sorry I am that I have left you in the dark this past week. I had suspected he may have been stolen but didn’t have any idea who it may have been. So, I had to search for him as if he was running around the wilderness. For all I knew, someone took him and got spooked by the media attention and dumped him. I have been looking for breadcrumbs for months with no luck. I have driven thousands of miles the last 9 months looking.

Last week, I found him searching through social media posts. I flew to Texas the very next day. The people who had him didn’t initially know he was missing, stolen, or that I was looking. When they found out, they didn’t want to give him up. In Texas, they have laws regarding this situation. While the Denton County dispatch, deputies, constables, ACOs and clerks were extremely patient, understanding, and worked on this more than I expected, they wanted to make sure I got him back legally and wouldn’t have any issues down the line. We feared him being moved again before the hearing. Animal Control seized him and has had him for time being. They have a beautiful facility and spoiled him for me while I’ve waited. My San Diego County detective worked hard and fast to get the needed paperwork to them.

Relaxing after a much-needed trip to the salon to be flea-bathed and have his painfully overgrown claws clipped.

This morning the judge ruled that Kai is to come back home to California with me.

There is still an investigation to be done over how he left my home and ended up in Texas. In the meantime, I feel beyond blessed to have my baby boy home. I’m focusing on his health right now. The people who had him allowed him to become flea infested to the point he was going completely bald in many places with open sores. He has some trust issues. I believe, the people who had him used heavy negative reinforcement.* He cowers if you move too quickly, has scars that resemble strikes across his body, and his nose has some damage to it.

The Gofundme account is how I was able to find him. Without all your donations, I wouldn’t have been able to spread the word so far and get help from professionals. The remaining money will be divided up between various organizations, ones that helped me find Kai and ones that help others find their missing animals.

This picture is from the shelter last week in Denton County. I will post a video that will help answer questions that you may have. Right now, I’m taking some time to be with someone who I’ve missed very much.

*What she meant is positive punishment.  Negative reinforcement is a misnomer.  What it actually means is subtracting something to reinforce a behavior (i.e. hitting snooze on the alarm – when the noise is taken away, a person will repeat the behavior of shutting the alarm off).  Positive reinforcement is adding something to reinforce a behavior (i.e. giving a dog a treat for learning a trick).

Positive punishment is the addition of something to curb a behavior (i.e. striking a dog – adding pain – to stop it from barking).  Negative punishment is the removal of something to stop a behavior (i.e. taking away a video game because a child misbehaved).

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But to them, we are. Their world revolve around us. Their loyalty and love is all for us. Still there are times, things happen and we have to let them go. No matter how much time passes and even if they are in another forever home; when we reunite with them, they still show us how much they love us and cry tears of happiness when they see us. Just like Cayenne. Isn’t that something, wonderful!

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The video below is probably the most heartwarming one you’ll ever see this week. This video from The Dodo is a compilation of dogs who found their way back home. In this video, you will see their heartwarming reunions with the people who love and miss them so much! This video will surely make you smile! Check it out!

I can hardly hold back my tears while watching this video! I’m so glad that these dogs are finally safe back at home with their loving families!

The post Reunited & It Feels So Good: Heartwarming Reunions Of Dogs Who Found Their Way Home! appeared first on ILoveDogsAndPuppies.

Lance Corporal Andrew Harmon has been home from his tour of duty in Afghanistan for a couple of years now.  It’s also been a couple of years since he saw his service mate Rebel, a military dog he spent virtually every moment with while there.  Harmon and Rebel have been reunited, and Harmon says his prayers have been answered.

“I just prayed a lot for the dog. I was like, ‘God, I hope one day I get to see him again’,” said Harmon.

When Harmon joined the Marines, he hadn’t imagined himself as a dog handler.  However, he found out that by getting into a dog handler’s position, he would get to be on active duty.  According to Harmon, when he went to be paired with his new charge, it was Rebel that chose him.

Harmon and Rebel spent every moment together while overseas.  For Harmon, it was his first tour of duty and it was Rebel’s second.  Truly, they are what some would call a bonded pair.

“I’ve had numerous dogs before, but the bond wasn’t like this. You know, I can’t describe it,” said Harmon.

After taking a massive concussive blast from an explosion, Rebel was left badly injured.  He suffered a stroke and had to be retired and sent back to the United States.

While home, a tumor had been found on one of Rebel’s knees and needed to be removed.  The woman Rebel was staying with just could not afford to pay for the surgery.  That’s when she called Harmon and got the pair back together.

“It’s just indescribable,” Harmon said. “It was almost like when I had my daughter or when I got married… something like that. That’s the best way I can describe it.”

Rebel and Harmon are together now.  Rebel is healing up nicely, and the two help each other out coping with post combat stress.  Harmon is now looking for ways that he and Rebel can do some good locally.

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A woman from South Florida has been reunited with her Boston terrier after seven years of separation.  Lola was assumed to have run away from home, and Julie Arango, Lola’s human, didn’t think she’d ever see her dog again.

However, Lola is back home with her family.  According to Linda Gall, a former vet tech, someone was trying to give Lola away on Craigslist.  This person had cared for Lola for the entire seven years she had been missing from her family, but for whatever reason, didn’t want her anymore.

Gall took Lola to a local veterinarian.  That’s when the micro chip embedded in Lola was discovered.  The information on the chip was still valid, and that allowed the vet staff to get in touch with Arango, and Lola could finally go home.

Arango told news outlets that she thought that Lola would never be returned to her family.  As time went by, Arango knew that it was becoming extremely improbable that she’d see her dog again.  After getting the phone call, Arango and her 19-year-old daughter, Celina Papas, drove from their home to Fort Lauderdale, Florida for the reunion.

Lola is finally back home where she belongs.  Arango and her daughter are still amazed and remain very grateful to the people that helped Lola survive for the seven years she was gone.  Remember, it doesn’t usually cost much, if anything at all, it’s always a good idea to keep the information on the chip current.  Sometimes, that’s all anyone has to go on when it comes to simple identification of a missing pet.

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