A long-lost dog who disappeared more than 12 years ago has been reunited with its family after animal shelter staff identified him through an implanted microchip about 20 miles away from home.
Fifteen-year-old Minion went missing after a maintenance worker mistakenly left the back gate in his family’s home in the city of Phoenix, Arizona State, USA, open in 2011.
But the pooch has now been reunited with family including owner Skip Crandall after a Maricopa County Animal Care and Control employee found him last month.
The employee then reportedly scanned the dog’s implanted microchip, and traced down his family through Minion’s file number.
Crandall said: “My phone rings and it is my wife and she says, ‘Hey, I got a call from Animal Control, and they say they have our dog.’ I am thinking this has to be a prank.”
After confirming the call was real, officers brought Minion at Skip’s home in the area of Valley, where he instantly began wagging his tail.
Maricopa County Animal Care and Control revealed that the senior dog appeared shy and never wagged his tail at first.
The shelter said in a statement obtained by Newsflash: “Our field officer drove 15-year-old Minion back to his home, she explained to his owner before opening the kennel that Minion is old now and is not really a fast mover.
“However, once she opened up the kennel, Minion saw his family and instantly started wagging his tail and was clearly excited to be reunited with his family!
“They brought Minion inside and he was nearly running around with his tail wagging around the other dogs, he was home at last. We’re so glad Minion is back home!”
Skip added: “He was in a little rough shape, but we brought him to the vet. We’ve got some work to do to get him healthy, but he’s got a few good years left in him.
“He’s playing with the other dogs and getting around just fine. Just need to get a little dental work and minor surgery on him.”
The shelter had no information about who cared for Minion and why he was out on the streets when he was found about 20 miles away from home.
Shelter officials also emphasised the importance of getting pets chipped and said: “This reunion wouldn’t have been possible without a microchip!”
