by A Texas dog missing for seven years turned up hundreds of miles away from home after she was found abandoned in a hotel room in Florida.
Jazzy arrived at Orange County Animal Services in early December after their officers picked the dog up from the hotel. The dog could barely walk, likely from severe arthritis but she was still “extremely sweet and gentle.”
The staff were not super hopeful for the senior dog’s chances of adoption given her health issues, but when they scanned her for a microchip they got a big surprise.
Orange County Animal Services shared on Facebook what happened next:
“Our staff tracked down the information, and it came back to a family in Texas. When we called them, we gave them the surprise of a lifetime. You see, Jazzy was 12 years old, and she had been five years old when she had gotten spooked by fireworks and run away. The family was unable to find her anywhere. They searched for her for a long time, and even after seven years, they never gave up hope.”
The shelter let Jazzy’s family know the facts. “We told them about her health issues, her current condition, and we let them know their options. They never hesitated. Kerry, Jazzy’s owner, jumped on a plane from Texas to Florida a few days later, and today, we reunited them.”
Orange County Animal Services
“We don’t know how Jazzy wound up here in Orlando, or what her life has been like,” they continued. “But after seven years, Jazzy was finally going home.”
It was as emotional reunion as you would expect.
Orange County Animal Services
“It was a tearful reunion, and it was incredible to watch Jazzy come to life at her owner’s voice,” the shelter related. “Kerry was overjoyed and regaled us with stories about her. And Jazzy couldn’t take her eyes off him. She licked his hand again and again and inched her body as close as she could to him. After all those years, her heart still remembered, and was finally whole.”
Orange County Animal Services
The Christmas miracle has touched the hearts not only of dog lovers everywhere, but also the staff at the shelter. They wrote, “Our staff and volunteers have to endure heartache and heartbreak every day. Every now and then though, we get to watch something like this, and it makes every minute worth it.”
The rescuers concluded, “If we could bottle this type of love and give it to every adopter, we would. If we could write a happy ending like this for every one of our animals, we would.”
It is truly a happy ending for Jazzy and her family.
