After seven years, an Alabama family reunited with their dog.
The family thought she had been stolen as a puppy and drove around for days trying to find her. When they believed all hope was lost, the family received a shocking phone call from a veterinarian miles away.
What happened?
The Jones family told WESH 2, Orlando, Florida's local station, that they brought Copper home when she was only 4 weeks old. Several months later, she went missing.
"We drove around every day for about a week looking for her," the family said. "As time went along, we just kind of gave up hope."
Copper was alive and somehow survived on her own. She resurfaced in Port Orange, Florida — hundreds of miles from the family — when a woman named Jennifer Baker spotted Copper and took her in for two weeks.
"She was in god-awful condition," Baker said. "Her nails had grown into the pads of her feet, and she had infections all across her back."
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Baker then took Copper to a veterinarian to see if Copper had a microchip that could help identify who her owners were. The chip led the vet to the Jones family.
"[We] just broke down crying," the family told WESH 2.
"[They] called her name, and I watched her ears perk up," Baker said about the reunion. "She wagged her tail and slowly walked over."
Why does it matter?
A registered microchip can help veterinarians and shelters identify a lost animal and contact its family, even after years apart, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. Local shelters can also scan found dogs or cats for a chip.
Secure fencing, supervised outdoor time, and updated ID tags can help reduce the risk of a years-long disappearance.
Copper is now back in Alabama with her family and is being treated as she recovers after years without proper care.
"It's been pretty extensive and kind of expensive," her owners said. "But it's well worth it to have her back."
They added that Copper is finally where she belongs: "safe, loved and getting her spark back."
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