A DOG has been reunited with his family nearly 14 years after he first went missing.
The Webster family thought they would never see their beloved five-pound Yorkshire Terrier mix, Remi, ever again after he disappeared from their home almost a decade-and-a-half ago.
However, in an incredible turn of events, Remington, or Remi for short, made a shock reappearance in the Webster family’s lives after being picked up Fort Worth Animal Control last month.
He was reunited with them thanks to the efforts of McKenzie Smith and his fellow volunteers at Saving Hope Rescue - a non-profit organisation that rescue and provides a second chance to animals in need in the Fort Worth area.
The dog was not in great shape when Saving Hope first met him – he had a wound on his face, had lost hair and was without teeth.
But, incredibly, he had a family.
Saving Hope were able to track Remi back to his owners thanks to a microchip the dog had had fitted under his skin prior to his disappearance.
According to Smith, Remi was just 10 weeks old when he snatched from the Smith’s garden.
“They had him for two months, went to Aaron's mom's house and somebody took him from the side yard," Smith told NBCDFW.
"They looked for him, he said, for months and months. They searched for him, and they wanted their baby back and finally they just assumed the worst.”
The family feared the worst, even theorising that a hawk may have seized up the tiny pooch, and eventually gave up the search.
Last weekend, Remi was reunited with his owner Aaron Webster and his young son in a meeting that proved emotional for all involved.
“Incredible. That’s the only word that comes to mind. It was warm fuzzies. We cried, definitely, all of us shed a tear of joy,” said Smith.
Now Remi is preparing to see out his retirement years in the safe company of the Webster family.
