Chihuahua Dog's Reaction To Seeing His Family After Being Missing For Six Years Is So Heartwarming

Did you know that a dog's memory was so poignant?

Elana

• Published in Animal Stories
• December 22, 2020

Six years ago, a small brown Chihuahua dog named King disappeared from the Vasquez family’s yard in San Antonio, Texas. The Vasquez family did what any loving family would do when a beloved pet disappeared: they made flyers showing the world what their dog looked like and put them up all over their neighborhood, they posted their dog and their dog flyers all over social media, and they regularly checked the local shelters to see if their dog made his way there.

Sadly, it was all for nothing at the time as none of their efforts turned up their precious dog, King the Chihuahua. While most families would have lost all sight of hope, the Vasquez family clung to King's collar, optimistic that maybe someday they would be reunited with their beloved Chihuahua.

Six years later nearing the end of October a woman brought a brown Chihuahua to the Humane Society of Broward County.

She brought the little dog to HSBC to surrender him and at 15-years old, he must have found himself feeling confused and scared.

However, it turned out to be quite the unexpected blessing!

Volunteers at HSBC scanned the senior pup for a microchip and were ecstatic to have a result pop up.

King had a family still waiting for him... even if it was 1,300 miles away!

It's likely that as King sat in the shelter, surrendered and scared, he had no idea what lay ahead of him.

In an interview with The Dodo, the Vice President of marketing at HSBC, Cherie Wachter said:

“Like most dogs in a strange environment, he was very quiet, subdued and nervous. Everyone thought King was very sweet.” 

A volunteer from the shelter called the Vasquez family thanks to the contact information stored in his microchip and was thrilled to get a call back very quickly. Wachter said:

“They called back within an hour and were ecstatic to learn that King was safe and alive! When they called the airlines and learned there were no flights until the end of the week, Debi and her daughter decided to drive to Florida to pick up King.”

It was a 19-hour long drive for King's family but they had zero hesitation when it came to hopping in the car and going the distance, literally!

And the reunion? It was everything anyone could have hoped for after six long years. Wachter told The Dodo:

“I think King might have been a little nervous at first. There were a lot of people watching. Debi started crying, and I think she and her daughter Danae were really shocked to have their dog back after six long years. They said they never gave up hope and even brought his collar.”

The touching reunion between King and the Vasquez Family was caught on camera:

For everything King had been through in six years away from his loving family, he seemed to realize that they weren't going anywhere this time.

To celebrate their joyful reunion, the family brought King with them to visit Dania Beach to see the Atlantic Ocean!

Watcher said:

"King was prancing around the beach and really started to interact with his family then. It was amazing to witness such a happy change for the little guy.”

The Humane Society of Broward County is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that is identified nationally as a “Leader in Animal Welfare." HSBC "receives no direct funding from the government, United Way or any national group with a similar name."

To help more dogs just like King find their forever homes, you can make a donation to the HSBC.

Elana