COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – A military family reunited with a special, furry family member thanks to some amazing volunteers.
Two years ago, the Colorado family’s dog, Bear, got lost while he was with a pet sitter.
Bear recently made the long journey to be reunited with his family at their home in New York.
Brandy Ross was devastated when she heard Bear was lost.
“Like, that was the hardest part. Was going home after I had left him with the sitter and then coming home to not having my dog,” she said.
After weeks of searching and posting about him, he never turned up and soon after, the military moved the family to New York without their beloved dog.
In July, there were sightings of Bear and a group of volunteers worked together to rescue beloved family pet.
For two weeks, they were placing food out at the same time.
“We then set up a time to put up what’s called a messy trap. So it’s a giant trap where they walk in, they hit a light, basically towards the back that triggers the door to close,” said Danielle Neiner, the volunteer who found Bear. “He was pretty matted, very dirty, all that different stuff. He’s definitely underweight. but health-wise, he’s had no health problems.”
Ross could not believe the volunteers found her furry friend even days after receiving the great news.
“The whole night I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, is this my dog?’ And then she read the numbers and she’s like, ‘It’s him.’ And I was like, ‘No way.’ And I was literally bawling my eyes out … Even now I’m in shock that this is him,” she said.
Ross said it is “so crazy” that Bear survived for two years in the Colorado weather.
“And to now be like, ‘He’s OK.’ It’s weird. It was, it was crazy. Like our emotions were everywhere,” she said.
Bear made the cross-country trip to his home in New York on Sept. 1 and it was paid for by community members. His family in New York could not wait to welcome him with open arms.
“So we already bought all of his bed and his bowls, and my kids helped me buy him toys. And I video with him, every week, a couple times a week,” Ross said before Bear arrived home.
This story is a reminder to microchip your pets and ensure they wear identification with your contact information. It highly increases your chances of being reunited if they get lost.
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