Chihuahua Missing for 12 Years Finally Returns Home, ‘Written in the Stars’

Pets, unfortunately, go missing all the time. Sometimes they’re found quickly, while sometimes they’re never found at all. Much more unusual is losing an animal for 12 years, only to have it returned.

According to People, that’s exactly what happened to a woman in Illinois who lost her chihuahua. Vanessa Antonino was living in and out of her car at the time and would leave Flor (who was well-behaved, unlike some chihuahuas) in the vehicle while she worked. However, she returned one day to find Flor had disappeared.

Tanya Ohanian, Canine Director at Evanston Animal Shelter, who helped the dog and owner reunite, told People that Antonino explained to her that when Flor went missing, “I had no money, I had no resources. Like I tried my best to find her, and I just like I couldn’t find her.”

Years Passed, Then Antonino Received an Unexpected Call

Even as time went on, Antonino kept looking for Flor when she could and hoped that wherever the dog was, it was being cared for. She also feared that Flor would pass away from old age before ever being located.

But years later, after severe weather came through the area, Flor was found stranded on the side of a road in Indiana. According to NBC 5, a volunteer helping with storm damage found the pup. They then brought her to Griffith Indiana Animal Control & Shelter.

In yet another example of why microchipping pets can be beneficial, the shelter worked with Microchip Hunters to hunt down Flor’s owner. Microchip Hunters has a reputation for locating owners even when a microchip’s information is out of date, and once they found Antonino, they called to give her the news.

Antonino reportedly shared, “When I got the phone call, the first phone call, they’re like, ‘Is this Vanessa? I’m like, ‘Yes.’ And they’re like, ‘We have Flor.’ And I was like, I was thinking back, I was like, ‘Flor?’ I’m like, ‘I hadn’t heard her name in years!’”

What Followed Was the Reunion of a Lifetime

The Indiana shelter worked with the Evanston shelter and Microchip Hunters to reunite Flor and Antonino. Someone eventually volunteered to drop what they were doing and make the drive to pick the pup up. The Evanston shelter shared in a Facebook post, “The reunion was so emotional. One that was written in the stars.”

As for Antonino, she was thrilled about Flor’s return. She reportedly stated, “She was back with me. A piece of my heart was back with me […] I missed years with her, her knowing her brothers, like, her human brothers. They all know about her. When they saw her, they’re like, ‘Oh my God, Ma.’ They’re like, ‘Our sister is home!’”

Meanwhile, one of the volunteers at the Evanston shelter told People how shocking it was to find a missing animal after so much time. They purportedly explained, “But it’s amazing, especially for a dog, like 12 years later to get back to their owner. That’s just unheard of.”

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