It’s a real tragedy when pet owners lose their dog in some random and unfortunate event. The whole ordeal is horrifying for the family.
However, when I think about it, it is much worse for dogs because many of them get lost by accident and spend months or years in a constant state of confusion and fear, only hoping that they would someday see their family again.
In this story, we will talk about a dog who was missing for a long time and refused help from anyone until his family showed up at the door.
Panda Gets Lost
Throughout her life, Panda has always been a lovely dog who loved spending time with her family. They created many wonderful memories in the time they spent together, and their bond was truly special.
However, on one unfortunate morning in 2021, the dog’s owner, Diana Luna Torres, woke up and noticed that the dog had suddenly disappeared without a trace.
She told The Dodo: We’re not sure if they got out somehow. Nala came back the next morning, but Panda never did.
The family from Colorado was completely devastated when they realized that he wasn’t coming back and was really missing.
They did everything in their power to find him. His face was all over the neighborhood on flyers and on social media pictures.
Torres continued by saying: We never stopped thinking about him. We would always think, ‘What if Panda is here?’ We would call out his name sometimes, or people would send us pictures and say, ‘Hey, I think we found Panda,’ and it was never him.
They continued their search, never giving up hope that they would find him.
However, what they didn’t know at the time was that Panda was found and taken in by Helping Hands Humane Society, who were clueless about his origin and the fact that he was missing.
A Fateful Phone Call
During his stay at the shelter, the staff noticed that he was quite depressed and refused any contact with them.
When he finally calmed down a little bit, the workers there figured it was best to scan him for a microchip, as there was a strong possibility that he belonged to somebody.
When it was revealed that he really did have a family, the staff at the society contacted them immediately.
Torres said: Just getting that call and to know that it was him, it was his chip number, it was amazing. We were full of emotions. We were very happy, very excited, at first — our first question was, ‘Is he doing OK? How is he?’
She continued by saying: They did mention to us that he wasn’t being friendly, so we were also worried about if he had any trauma. We weren’t sure if he was his old self.
The family drove all the way from Colorado to Kansas to finally see Panda again. No one was sure how the reunion would go, but they were optimistic.
Not one second after they stepped in the shelter, Panda realized who they were and began crying with joy. His tail was wagging uncontrollably and he was just begging to hug his family again.
Now that he was finally in his home where he belonged, Panda settled back in like nothing had ever happened.
He was still the same happy and playful dog that he always was. The family couldn’t be happier now that he was reunited with them.