“We are a ball of emotion right now.”
When employees at Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) found a bulldog and a Chihuahua tied to the gate of the shelter, they weren’t exactly shocked. Sadly, abandoning pets like this happens all too often. The pups were found with coats on, sitting on a blanket surrounded by a few toys, and no one knew where they had come from.
When the staff scanned the bulldog for a microchip, however, they uncovered a story that was nothing short of miraculous. The dog, named Rome, was double microchipped, allowing APA! to track down his original owners. To their amazement, they learned that Rome had been missing for four long years.
In January 2021, on a windy and stormy day in California, Rome’s family had let him outside into their fenced-in yard. The wind blew the gate open, and before they knew it, Rome was gone. They knocked on doors, posted flyers, and searched everywhere, but there was no sign of their beloved pup. As the years passed, they began to lose hope of ever finding him again.
Then, they received the call they never thought would come. Not only was Rome alive, but somehow, he had made his way from California to Texas — thousands of miles away. Overwhelmed with emotion, the family quickly made plans to drive to Texas to reunite with their long-lost dog.
“We are a ball of emotion right now,” the family said to APA!. “We’re so excited to see him. Words can’t describe the feeling of loss we had when he was gone, so to have that void filled today is absolutely incredible.”
When the time came for the reunion, the family was understandably nervous. Would Rome remember them after all this time? As soon as he emerged from the shelter, all their worries melted away. Rome walked straight up to his dad, leaning in for pets, his whole body wiggling with joy. His mom couldn’t stop crying, marveling at how much he had grown. Despite the years apart, the bond between them was as strong as ever.
The reunion was an emotional and heartwarming moment for everyone involved. Rome, with his wagging tail and eager steps, was finally heading home, where he belonged. His parents were deeply grateful to APA! for organizing the reunion and bringing their beloved pup back home.
“Chip your dogs because you just never know,” Rome’s mom said in a video, a reminder of the power of microchipping in reuniting lost pets with their families.