A phone was made to the Washington County Animal Shelter in the early days of April informing them that Blue, a stray dog, had arrived at a stranger’s home seeking refuge. The pit bull mix was quickly picked up by an animal control officer and taken back to the shelter.
No one was sure how long Blue had lived on the streets, but the abandoned dog appeared to like every person he met.
“He was a happy-go-lucky dog,” Tammy Davis, the shelter’s executive director, told The Dodo. “He was a little shy at first, and he wasn’t very fond of all the other dogs being around him, but he was extremely affectionate to people and very loving to the staff.”
The shelter had to close its doors to walk-ins due to the COVID-19 outbreak and only allow appointments for visits. Blue waited in his kennel for months with minimal foot traffic, which ended up being a blessing in disguise.
The shelter shared a video of Blue having fun with his favorite toy on their Facebook page to introduce Blue to some prospective adopters. Later, someone commented on the video with the words “That’s my dog.”
Six months prior, Blue had vanished from his Tennessee home. His father tirelessly searched for him, but in the end had to move to Texas for a job. Prior to seeing the Facebook video of Blue from a friend, he had given up hope of ever seeing his dog again.
All that was left to do was confirm whether the man claiming to be Blue’s owner was telling the truth: “Blue’s favorite toy in the shelter was a blue squeaky ball and in our video, he was playing with that ball,” Davis said. “Once we started the conversation with the owner he said, ‘Yes, I have pictures of my dog.’ He sent us pictures of Blue in his home with that same blue ball, which was his favorite toy at home. It was crazy.”
Blue’s father traveled 1,200 miles to pick up his son, and their reunion exceeded all of their expectations.
“It was very obvious that the dog had a bond with that person,” Davis said. “Blue was shocked for a split second, like, ‘Am I believing my eyes?’ And then it was just immediate kisses and the man was crying, it was great.”
The dog is happy to meet his lost owner
The dog’s reaction made the people around him emotional
Now that Blue is back with his father, the two are beginning a brand-new life in Texas that is filled with affection, cuddles, and squeaky balls.
“We wish that every animal could have a happy ending like that,” Davis said. “It makes all of our hard work worth it to be able to have moments like this.”
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