Dog Reunited with Texas Family Nearly 14 Years after Going Missing

A Yorkshire Terrier dog that went missing in Texas more than 13 years ago has been reunited with its owner after being positively identified by a microchip.

Rescue experts in Fort Worth recovered the dog last week after a call from a concerned citizen and noted in a Facebook post it had been thin, wounded and "horribly matted." And after some investigation, it emerged the small mix breed had been missing for over a decade.

The wounded canine, named Remington, or Remi for short, was traced back to original owner Aaron Webster, who lives with his family in Houston.

Officials from Fort Worth Animal Care & Control who found the pup contacted another rescue group called Saving Hope, which got the dog medical attention and helped track its ownership history. Both organizations shared video footage of the emotional reunion to their social media pages in recent days.

Houston is approximately 262 miles from Fort Worth, and it remains unclear what happened to the dog during its lengthy disappearance. According to Saving Hope, the dog was stolen from a family member's yard when he was just nine weeks old and the family had searched for months.

"He was covered in mattes, had an open wound on his face and was barely recognizable," Saving Hope said on Facebook, describing how the rescue attempt unfolded.

"The rescue office at Fort Worth Animal Care & Control reached out to us at Saving Hope and asked us to help the little dog. He was microchipped three times, and they were attempting to make contact with his rightful owner and get to the bottom of the little dog's mystery. After some investigation the original owner was found and we made contact.. it was Remington!

"After nearly fourteen years missing and miles and miles away from home, Remi had finally been found. Aaron and his wife, and their three growing children, were elated and overjoyed to finally welcome Remi back into his home. [He] will be loved by his family for the rest of his days."

Speaking to local media outlet CBS DFW, Webster said the long-lost dog is recovering well after a few days of rest, noting that it appears to be blind but "heart healthy."

McKenzie Smith, a Saving Hope volunteer, said the dog was picked up last weekend. "After all these years he finally got home and we're just so excited we were able to help," Smith told KXAS, which reported the rescue team re-homed more than 700 dogs as of December 2019.

"Remington was reunited with his original family, who couldn't have been happier to have him back in their family," the Fort Worth Animal Care & Control said on Facebook.

It added: "Thank you to Saving Hope for helping make this reunion possible, and to Remington's family for microchipping him and updating their contact information as they continued to search. Remember microchips are a permanent way to identify your pet should it ever go missing!"