Shelter Dog Meal Donation Count:

3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
Learn More

Pit Bull Stolen During Home Invasion Comes Home 8 Years Later

By: Adri Sandoval
Adri Sandoval is the Special Projects Manager for iHeartDogs and iHeartCats. Her work has deepened her love for animals, fostering a strong passion for rescue and animal advocacy.Read more
| May 11, 2022

In 2012, a horrific home invasion caused a family to lose their beloved Pit Bull named Junior. At the time, he was still very young, but the family already had a close bond with him. Julia Nemeth searched long and hard in hopes of bringing her beloved dog home, but she seemed out of luck.

Eight years went by with no Junior sightings. Of course, Nemeth feared the worst, but she also tried her best to keep searching. Not a day went by where she didn’t hope for Junior’s return. Soon enough, that positive thinking paid off.

Pit Bull Waving Paw
Image: @summithumane/Facebook

Searching for a Miracle

Nemeth, who is a mother of four in Ohio, brought Junior home when he was only a puppy. She felt a strong connection with him in no time. She spent lots of time training him using hand signals so she wouldn’t wake the kids up while they were sleeping. He was a quick learner and was always happy to make his mom happy.

After the home invasion, Nemeth never stopped looking for Junior. She consistently checked local shelter and rescue pages, and she frequently used lost-and-found animal groups. But sadly, Junior was nowhere to be seen.

Pit Bull Under Christmas Tree
Image: @summithumane/Facebook

Eventually, in 2018, Junior arrived at the Humane Society of Summit County, where he was called Buddy. He had to be treated for tapeworms after arriving, but he seemed healthy other than that. Once he fully recovered, he was ready to be adopted. He was adopted three different times during his stay, but always returned because he wasn’t the right fit. Little did the shelter know, he already had a perfect family looking for him.

Junior’s Return

After Junior’s third time being returned to the shelter, Nemeth noticed his photo online. She called the shelter immediately, explaining the situation. She told them as much about Junior as possible, and they confirmed that he seemed like the dog she’d been looking for. So, Nemeth and her family rushed to go see Junior after all these years.

Pit Bull Reunited with Family
Image: @summithumane/Facebook

Junior was a bit hesitant at first, but he quickly remembered his family. He even remembered the hand signals Nemeth taught him as a puppy. Once it was clear that Junior was still happy and comfortable with them, the family brought him home for the first time in eight years.

“I keep asking my husband to pinch me because I can’t believe this is real. I can’t believe Junior is home. He carried me through challenges of my life and to have him back means everything to me,” said Nemeth.

Pit Bull Holding Football
Image: @SummitHumane/Facebook

It didn’t take long for Junior to settle into his old routine. He quickly found his favorite places to nap again, and he happily plays with Nemeth’s son in the yard. He has to get used to some new changes, such as another dog, but it’s nothing he can’t handle. He’s just grateful to be home with the humans who love him after so much time alone. They might never know where he was before the shelter saved him, but all that matters is he’s back in a comfortable home for his senior years.

H/T: people.com
Featured Image: @summithumane/Facebook

Recent Articles

Interested in learning even more about all things dogs? Get your paws on more great content from iHeartDogs!

Read the Blog

Loading Checkout...

United StatesClose
Flag of United States
Powered by
duty and tax information for United States

Looks like your ad blocker is on.

×

We rely on ads to keep creating quality content for you to enjoy for free.

Please support our site by disabling your ad blocker.

Continue without supporting us

Choose your Ad Blocker

  • Adblock Plus
  • Adblock
  • Adguard
  • Ad Remover
  • Brave
  • Ghostery
  • uBlock Origin
  • uBlock
  • UltraBlock
  • Other
  1. In the extension bar, click the AdBlock Plus icon
  2. Click the large blue toggle for this website
  3. Click refresh
  1. In the extension bar, click the AdBlock icon
  2. Under "Pause on this site" click "Always"
  1. In the extension bar, click on the Adguard icon
  2. Click on the large green toggle for this website
  1. In the extension bar, click on the Ad Remover icon
  2. Click "Disable on This Website"
  1. In the extension bar, click on the orange lion icon
  2. Click the toggle on the top right, shifting from "Up" to "Down"
  1. In the extension bar, click on the Ghostery icon
  2. Click the "Anti-Tracking" shield so it says "Off"
  3. Click the "Ad-Blocking" stop sign so it says "Off"
  4. Refresh the page
  1. In the extension bar, click on the uBlock Origin icon
  2. Click on the big, blue power button
  3. Refresh the page
  1. In the extension bar, click on the uBlock icon
  2. Click on the big, blue power button
  3. Refresh the page
  1. In the extension bar, click on the UltraBlock icon
  2. Check the "Disable UltraBlock" checkbox
  1. Please disable your Ad Blocker
  2. Disable any DNS blocking tools such as AdGuardDNS or NextDNS

If the prompt is still appearing, please disable any tools or services you are using that block internet ads (e.g. DNS Servers).