It’s been a long journey — but Razzle the dog is finally home.
Nearly 10 years ago, Razzle went missing from his family in Heber Springs, Arkansas. Earlier this month, he was found 1,600 miles away in French Camp, California.
According to the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office, Razzle was found by an animal control officer recently. They scanned him for a microchip — and luckily, Razzle had one. They were then able to locate his original owners.
Clearly, the pet parents were in disbelief at the news of Razzle being found. It had been almost a decade since the then-6-year-old dog went missing, and they were sure that he’d been gone for good.
No one knows just how Razzle ended up in California, but one thing’s for certain: his parents are so happy to have him back. The trip wouldn’t have been made possible without a man named Jeremy Wade, a pilot who often takes trips to Arkansas.
“The amazing dog transport folks out in California knew I sometimes fly to Heber Springs, and now he’s getting a ride with me back to his family after all these years,” Wade posted in an update on Facebook. “He’s now a very old dog, but now he can have the sunset of his life back home with his family in the Ozarks.”
In a video Wade posted on Facebook, Razzle’s family is shown reuniting with the old pup, who is probably close to 16 years old now. They pet him and called him by his name, and he happily trotted around greeting them.
While collars and ID tags are helpful in reuniting lost pets with their families, the best bet to ensure an animal makes it back home is a microchip. The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Department shared a post about Razzle in May sharing this very same sentiment.
“This is a great reminder to microchip your pet,” the department said. “Though collars and ID tags can be helpful, they aren’t always a reliable form of identification since they can easily fall off or become hard to read over time, leaving your pet among the other unidentified lost strays at shelters. This can easily be prevented by the use of microchips which provides your pet with permanent identification.”
An original post dating back to April 18, 2011 shared details about Razzle when he first went missing. While he was unrecognizably shaggy when he was first found by animal control, the little dog is in fact a Schnauzer.
While it’s unclear whether Razzle has any health issues from his long time away from home, the little old man is now settled safe and sound with his original family. According to a rescue group that helped reunite Razzle, he recognized his old home immediately.
After all, there’s no place like home.
H/T: 5NewsOnline
Featured Image: Jeremy Wade/ Facebook
Toledo, United States.
