Whether it’s between friends, family, or pets and their owners, reunion stories are always worth reading about.
These special moments often elicit feelings of excitement, joy, and shock all at the same time, and that makes these events even more remarkable.
When Pat lost his dog Blue about six months ago, he had given up all hope for a reunion. The pup disappeared when he was still living in Tennessee, but he eventually relocated to Texas for work. That’s when he knew he’d never see his beloved dog again.
Pat didn’t know that his best friend was rescued by the Washington County Animal Shelter in Tennessee.
In early April, the shelter received a call about a stray pit bull that had shown up at a stranger’s house. They immediately sent an animal control officer to pick up the lost pup and take him to the shelter.
No one knew how long the dog had been living on the streets. But what they knew was that the dog loved humans. He loved every person he met at the shelter.
“He was a happy-go-lucky dog. He was a little shy at first, and he wasn’t very fond of all the other dogs being around him, but he was extremely affectionate to people and very loving to the staff,” Tammy Davis, the shelter’s executive director, told The Dodo.
When the pandemic started, the rescue had to close its doors to the public and allow any visits by appointment only. With fewer people coming in at the shelter, the facility had no choice but to wait for someone who would pick up or adopt Blue.
The shelter then shared a video of Blue playing with his favorite ball on their Facebook page to increase his chances of being adopted. After a while, one person commented, “That’s my dog.”
That man was Pat. He had been looking for Blue for about half a year, but he couldn’t find him. It didn’t help that he had to move to Texas for work. Luckily, a friend saw the dog’s video on Facebook and sent it to him.
The shelter had to confirm if Pat was telling the truth.
“Blue’s favorite toy in the shelter was a blue squeaky ball and in our video, he was playing with that ball,” Davis said. “Once we started the conversation with the owner he said, ‘Yes, I have pictures of my dog.’ He sent us pictures of Blue in his home with that same blue ball, which was his favorite toy at home. It was crazy.”
Once everything was set, Pat drove 1,200 miles to pick up Blue and take him to their new home in Texas.
The shelter said Blue appeared to be shocked upon seeing his owner. But after that initial unbelief, the dog gave Pat lots of kisses and kept trying to play ball with him. The heartwarming reunion was captured by staff at the rescue.
“That’s my boy,” Pat upon seeing Blue again. “I missed you so much.”
Pat sat on the floor of the shelter and took a good look at his dog. He appreciated that he remained in good shape despite being separated from him for 200 days.
“God he looks great,” Pat said. “Thanks for taking such good care of him.”
The shelter said it’s reunions like this one that motivates them to continue their work for the animals.
“We wish that every animal could have a happy ending like that,” Davis said. “It makes all of our hard work worth it to be able to have moments like this.”
Now, Pat and Blue are back in Texas to start a new life together.
Watch the video below to witness the pair’s heartwarming reunion.