Dog finally reunited with owners seven years after running away
If you're looking for a feel-good story this morning, this ought to do it!
An animal shelter in Florida has shared the heart-wrenching story of Jazzy the dog, who has finally been reunited with her owners seven whole years after running away.
Jazzy was discovered over 1,280km away from her home state of Texas when Orange County Animal Services found her last month.
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When the canine was finally found, she had been left behind a hotel in Florida and could barely walk.
The team at Orlando animal shelter were shocked when took Jazzy in and found a microchip that tracked her back to her owners in Texas.
When the shelter got in contact with her owners, the ecstatic family got on the next flight from Texas to Florida to be reunited with their pooch.
Owner Kerry explained that Jazzy ran away from home seven years ago, when she was just five years old, after getting spooked by some fireworks.
Jazzy's owners searched for her for a long time, and 'never gave up hope' that they would eventually find her.
The moment that Jazzy was finally reunited with her families was an incredibly emotional one.
"We've had reunions that brought together families and pets that were apart for maybe a few years," said Bryant Almeida, the public information officer for Orange County Animal Services.
"For a dog, seven years is practically a lifetime."
But, despite their long time apart, Jazzy recognised Kerry and the family immediately, and was overjoyed to see them again.
The shelter raved that it was 'incredible to watch Jazzy come to life at her owner's voice.'
Kerry's furry friend 'licked his hand again and again and inched her body as close as she could to him.'
I'm not crying, you're crying.
Neither Jazzy's family nor the animal shelter have any idea how Jazzy might have ended up in Orlando, Florida, or what the pooch might have been up to for the past seven years.
Unfortunately, Jazzy has developed a bad case of arthritis, and could barely stand up when she was finally found.
But, now that she's back home in Texas, she's walking around, and even starting to run again.
The rescue service shared that their line of work means they have to 'endure heartache every day' while helping dogs in rough conditions, but every now and then, they 'get to watch something like this, and it makes every minute worth it.'
Ali Condon