Thanks to a microchip, a Fort Worth family has been reunited with their dog more than five years after it first went missing.
A woman found Duncan the Schnauzer mix a while ago after he had been attacked by another dog. He had several punctures to his face. The woman took Duncan to the Humane Society of North Texas on Monday, where he was evaluated and treated, according to the shelter.
The humane society veterinarian scanned Duncan's microchip and found the owner, Maria Galindo, who told them Duncan snuck out through a gate in September 2014 and never came back.
Galindo said she adopted the then-4-year-old Duncan and his brother Harley from another shelter in 2014 to help her daughter Jaylinn heal when she was released from the hospital following a near-death experience.
"Honestly, it was crazy, I couldn't believe it," Galindo told WFAA about when she got the call from the shelter. "It was just crazy, getting the call so many years later. We were pretty ecstatic."
Duncan was only at Galindo's home for six months before he went missing, but where he went all those years is a mystery.
"I just thought that he got hit by a car- you just assume the worst," Galindo said. "Just a few days ago my kids were searching online looking for another dog, and I thought we should wait. But we were all so happy when we got that call."
On Tuesday morning, Galindo and her family arrived at the shelter with proof of ownership of Duncan and the whole family was reunited with their lost pup. Duncan still has a ways to go until he is fully recovered from his injuries, but the family is just happy to have him home.
"Everyone was crying, everyone was in complete disbelief this family was about to be reunited with her furry friend. To say there were tears of joy is an understatement," humane society spokesperson Cassie Davidson said in a statement.
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