In late October, a woman walked into the Humane Society of Broward County (HSBC) to surrender a little brown Chihuahua mix named King.
At 15 years old, the senior dog found himself in a shelter for the first time. But what would have been a nightmare for most pups turned out to be a blessing in disguise when the animal shelter scanned King for a microchip.
As it turned out, King had a loving family waiting for him over 1,300 miles away.
But the little dog had no idea that he was one step closer to finding his way back home. “Like most dogs in a strange environment, he was very quiet, subdued and nervous,” Cherie Wachter, vice president of marketing at the HSBC, told The Dodo. “Everyone thought King was very sweet.”
Six years ago, King disappeared from the Vasquez family’s yard in San Antonio, Texas. They made fliers, posted on social media and consistently checked the local shelter without luck. Still, they held on to King’s collar, never losing hope that one day their paths would cross again.
The shelter called the family and left a voicemail explaining that their long-lost dog was waiting for them. “They called back within an hour and were ecstatic to learn that King was safe and alive,” Wachter said. “When they called the airlines and learned there were no flights until the end of the week, Debi and her daughter decided to drive to Florida to pick up King.
King’s family hopped in the car and drove over 19 hours to see him, and the reunion was everything they could have hoped for. King was shocked when his mom walked into the building after six long years apart.
“I think King might have been a little nervous at first. There were a lot of people watching,” Wachter said. “Debi started crying, and I think she and her daughter Danae were really shocked to have their dog back after six long years. They said they never gave up hope and even brought his collar.”
You can watch the sweet reunion here:
To celebrate, the family went to Dania Beach to see the Atlantic Ocean and King finally began to relax. The little dog seemed to realize for the first time that his family wasn’t going anywhere this time.
“King was prancing around the beach and really started to interact with his family then,” Wachter said. “It was amazing to witness such a happy change for the little guy.”