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Fate Reunites Woman with Her Favorite Foster Dog After 4 Years Apart

By: Russel Moneva
Russel Moneva, a Viral Content writer at iHeartDogs, finds joy in both crafting engaging content and pursuing his passion for basketball and fitness whenever he's not immersed in his work.Read more
| February 4, 2025

Fostering animals is a beautiful and generous act, giving homeless pets a chance to experience love, warmth, and safety while they wait for their forever homes. For many fosters, the experience is temporary, a chance to provide care and companionship until the animal finds a permanent family. Yet, there are times when the bond between foster and animal runs deep, creating a lasting connection that leaves a powerful imprint on the heart. This story is about one such bond, formed years ago and brought back together by an extraordinary twist of fate.

Image Credit: TikTok

One woman’s story of a reunion with her favorite foster dog after four long years illustrates the depth of these connections — and how fate sometimes steps in to bring together those who are truly meant to be.

Katelyn Severt, an avid dog lover and dedicated animal foster, has a history of opening her home to dogs in need. Since the start of the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020, she’s fostered multiple dogs from the Nebraska Humane Society, providing them with a warm, temporary refuge until they found families of their own. During those years, Katelyn formed unique relationships with each dog she fostered, but one in particular would leave a lasting impact: a high-energy, somewhat challenging dog named Nacho.

Katelyn’s fostering journey began when the Nebraska Humane Society reached out, asking if she could open her home to dogs displaced by the pandemic. She first fostered two dogs, both of whom quickly found loving homes. Seeing her success with those fosters, the Humane Society decided to entrust her with a “diamond dog,” a term the shelter uses to describe dogs with behavioral issues who need a bit of extra attention. Nacho, a big dog with striking blue eyes, fits the bill.

Right away, Katelyn knew Nacho was a unique case. Caring for him wasn’t easy; he was full of energy and exhibited some challenging behaviors. Katelyn often found herself on the phone with the Humane Society’s behavior team, seeking advice on managing his quirks. Nacho even left her with a few bruises as she worked through his training. Yet, despite the challenges, Katelyn grew deeply attached to him, and his spirited personality began to carve a special place in her heart.

The thought of adopting Nacho herself crossed Katelyn’s mind more than once. However, she already had a large-breed dog named Cash, and managing two big dogs proved too much to handle at the time. She had to make the difficult decision to let Nacho be adopted by another family. After three months of fostering, Nacho found a new home, and Katelyn was left with bittersweet memories and a lingering sense of loss.

Image Credit: TikTok

“I’ve had about 15 fosters since 2020, and Nacho has been the hardest to say goodbye to,” Katelyn shared with People. Even though she continued to foster dogs and welcomed other animals into her life, Nacho’s memory stayed vivid in her mind. She found herself frequently thinking about him, wondering if he was happy and if he still had that same energetic spirit.

Fast forward four years later, and life had taken Katelyn to a new state, Ohio. By this time, her beloved dog Cash had sadly passed away, leaving a void in her life. Then, an unexpected turn of events brought Nacho back into her life.

Last month, a friend of Katelyn’s happened to spot a dog on the Nebraska Humane Society’s adoption website who looked remarkably familiar. Listed under the name “Raiden,” the dog had the same piercing blue eyes that Katelyn remembered. This dog had been found as an unclaimed stray and had been at the shelter for six weeks. Recognizing him almost immediately from the photos, Katelyn was stunned to realize that this was Nacho.

The news sparked a sense of urgency in Katelyn. Without hesitation, she made arrangements to drive all the way from Ohio back to Nebraska, determined to bring Nacho home herself this time. The emotional journey across multiple states was worth every mile as Katelyn arrived at the shelter to reunite with her long-lost friend.

A now-viral TikTok video captured their heartwarming reunion, as Nacho’s excitement was palpable upon seeing Katelyn again. In her post, Katelyn described it as “an adoption story 4.5 years in the making.” She wasted no time in restoring his original name, Nacho, sharing that he was now “settling in so nicely like the king he is” in his new home.

The timing of Nacho’s reappearance seemed almost too perfect. With Cash’s recent passing, Katelyn now had both the space and the heart to welcome Nacho back into her life for good. “It sounds silly,” she shared with People, “but I truly think Cash helped put all the pieces back together so Nacho could come back into my life.”

Image Credit: TikTok
Innocent Dog Harmed on Camera
Innocent Dog Harmed on Camera

The heartbreaking story of a man caught on video harming a pit bull with a rod is distressing. This level of violence against a defenseless animal should disqualify the abuser from ever owning or being near animals again.

 

Since bringing Nacho home, Katelyn has resumed her passion for fostering, with Nacho fitting right into her home and getting along well with other dogs. His return has brought a profound sense of closure and joy, and their bond is stronger than ever.

This beautiful reunion is a testament to the enduring connections formed through fostering and the belief that some bonds are meant to last. Though Nacho and Katelyn were separated for years, fate brought them back together just when they needed each other the most. Nacho is now home for good, right where he belongs, proving that sometimes, love finds a way back even after years apart.

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@campkate.co Reintroducing Nacho – an adoption story 4.5 years in the making ✨ When COVID hit in early 2020, I decided to start fostering dogs. I met the behavior team at Nebraska Humane Society and for some reason unbeknownst to me, they entrusted me with fostering diamond dogs aka diamonds in the rough aka pups with a variety of behavior issues. My first two fosters got adopted quickly. Then I picked up this white-and-black-spotted-blue-eyed-strong-boy named Nacho as my third foster. Somewhere between the bruises he gave me, counters he surfed, bottles of wine he made me drink, and training tip phone calls with NHS behavior team, I fell in love with the little mans. As much as I wanted to adopt, I knew I was a few weeks away from bringing Cash home and I couldn’t fathom owning two large breed dogs at once. Three months into fostering, Nacho was adopted out and for the next four years I wondered about him often. I moved back to Ohio and in June of this year, Cash expectedly passed due to a ruptured tumor. It was rough and I miss her (still). I knew I couldn’t adopt again until it felt right. Fast forward to a week ago, I received a DM from a friend who noticed Nacho (now Raiden) back on NHS’s website. His second stint at NHS was approx 6 weeks as an unclaimed stray and it took me approx 2 seconds after seeing updated photos to know I had to drive back to Nebraska for him. So that’s what I did on Friday. He has been re-named back to Nacho, and is settling in so nicely like the king he is S/o to everyone who helped make this happen, especially Erica Young for fostering him this week until I could drive out there, @lindsey_anson for driving him halfway to Ohio to meet me, my dad for driving with me to get him. And, of course, Cash Girl because without her I truly don’t think all these pieces would have fallen into place ♥️ #dogreunion #adoptdontshop #rescuedog #nacho #columbus #ohio #omaha #nebraska #humanesociety #nhs #nebraskahumanesociety #columbusdogs #reunited ♬ All That Really Matters – ILLENIUM & Teddy Swims

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