Looking To Adopt A New Dog From Shelter, Family Finds Their Dog That Went Missing Months Ago

• Dante the dog was out on a walk with his mom when he got free from his leash, ran and lost his way.
• After three months without him and moving to another town, the family decided to adopt a dog from a shelter.
• A photo of a familiar dog at the shelter led to the tearful but magical reunion between Dante and his family.

---

When a beloved family pet goes missing, there are just no words to describe how painful it is for all the family members. 

Ruth Parada de Martinez went walking with their beloved Corgi/shepherd mix, Dante, when it went off leash and disappeared. She frantically looked for him but could not find him.

Ruth says, “When Dante disappeared, I felt like a part of me was gone.” She adopted Dante when he was still a pup after her eldest daughter’s lymphoma diagnosis and treated him like her own child.  Dante was a source of comfort and joy for the family.

Heartbroken over the loss, they decided to move 20 miles away.

Unknown to them, Dante ended up at the Fairfax County Animal Shelter, without a collar and a microchip.  Shelter staff could not identify him so they named him “Soldier”.

Reasa Currier, the director of Fairfax County’s Department of Animal Sheltering says, “He’s darling.”  That is why they could not understand why any adoption chance fizzled out.  Dante appeared sad whenever he would meet families.  He was not interested.

Meanwhile, the Martinez family was looking to adopt a dog and went to the shelter. When her 10-year-old daughter, Kayla Martinez, saw the picture of a dog that looked familiar, she said it was Dante!  But the dog was named “Soldier.” Her daughter was sure it was Dante and so they asked to see him.

And when Dante saw them, Currier said, “He just started pulling, he was wiggling all over. We immediately knew that this was Dante’s family. They were crying. Dante was just jumping. And he was clearly thrilled to see his family again.”

What a reunion!  There was no dry eye at the shelter as they watched the family and dog being happy at seeing each other again.

Currier said that every time a family reunites with a missing dog, it is a magical moment.  She encourages pet owners to have their beloved pets microchipped and update the information on the chip to bring back the missing to their rightful owners.

Source: People