Man Who Swore He'd Never Stop Looking For His Lost Dog Finally Finds Him After 4 Years
Michael Joy spent years wondering if his lost dog was still out there somewhere. In 2016, his three dogs slipped away, and while two came back, Sam, a 4-month-old Lab cross, vanished without a trace.
He searched shelters, kept checking local pages, and even after moving to Kentucky, he still made trips back to Georgia in case Sam turned up. The wait stretched on for almost five years, but then a call from City Dogs Cleveland changed everything.
What happened next made the long search feel worth it.
Almost five years passed and Michael still hadn't been able to find Sam.
It also echoes the man overwhelmed with joy after long days searching for his lost puppy.
But then one day, out of nowhere, Michael received a call from City Dogs Cleveland.
“She said, ‘We have Sam.’ In the back of my mind, I’m thinking, ‘This can’t be the same Sam!’” Michael recalled.
“This is Ohio! This is, like, almost to Michigan!”
“So I asked, ‘Can you describe him for me?’ And she said, ‘He’s a lighter-haired dog,’ and I replied, ‘Where are you and when can I pick him up?’”
The shelter had given Sam a medical exam, and in the process, they scanned him and found his microchip. They were then able to trace him back to the Joy family.
Michael drove eight hours to Ohio that same day, hoping that Sam would still remember him. Both Michael and Sam had changed a lot over those years.
“As we got there and I was waiting for them to bring Sam out, you could see the anticipation on my face. I felt like a kid on Christmas,” Michael said.
Sam was just as excited as Michael! He couldn't stop wagging his tail and jumping all over his dad.
It's safe to say that Michael won't be letting Sam out of his sight again anytime soon!
After Michael’s “Is this really Sam?” call, see how a new dog led to a reunion in this shelter-found lost dog story.
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