Florida Dog That Vanished 7 Years Ago Found in Michigan

A dog who vanished from his Florida home seven years ago turned up this week more than 1,000 miles away. People reports on the story of Sgt. Pepper, a Yorkshire terrier who was only 6 years old when he went missing in 2014, per a Thursday statement from Eaton County Animal Control in Michigan. Soon after he disappeared, the Yorkie's owner stumbled upon a Craigslist ad indicating her pet had been found, but when she went to claim him, she discovered someone else had done so before her, ECAC notes. Sgt. Pepper had a microchip implanted in him, so his owner notified the chip company he'd been stolen, as well as filed a police report, but no word ever came in on his whereabouts. Until this week, when the owner got word from ECAC that her beloved dog had been found Monday in Charlotte, Mich.

"While we don't know every detail of Sgt. Pepper's journey, we did discover how he made it to Michigan," ECAC notes. "Sgt. Pepper had been living with a family for the last 5 years who were unaware of his microchip and stolen status." The group notes the family was understanding that Sgt. Pepper needed to be reunited with his original owner. That reunion happened Wednesday, after the overjoyed owner booked a flight to Michigan to finally claim her pet. "We definitely could see a change in [Sgt. Pepper's] personality [when he saw her]," the animal control group's chief says, per WZZM. "I really do think that he remembered her." The ECAC notes that the owner had updated St. Pepper's microchip info as recently as February 2020, underscoring the importance of microchipping your pets and keeping your info current. (More uplifting news stories.)