Michael Joy lived out every dog owner’s worst nightmare in 2016. His three cherished pets became stray and went gone. Two of the dogs returned, but Sam, the 4-month-old Lab cross, was still missing. Michael looked at all of the local shelters and looked everywhere for Sam, but he couldn’t find him.
Michael explained, “I told my wife, ‘Hey, I’m going to find this puppy.'” “I never stopped, and I still keep an eye on the shelters’ pages just in case he showed up. Michael and his family finally moved to Kentucky, but he never lost faith that Sam was still alive. He returned to their old house in Georgia on a regular basis, thinking that Sam would still be there.
Michael had been looking for Sam for five years and had yet to find him.
But suddenly, apparently out of nowhere, Michael was contacted by City Dogs Cleveland.
“‘We have Sam,’ she says. ‘This can’t be the same Sam!’ I’m thinking in the back of my mind.” Michael remarked.
“This is Ohio ! ‘It’s nearly to Michigan,” he thinks.
“So I’m like, ‘Could you give me a description of him?’ “He’s a lighter-haired dog,” she remarked, and I responded, “Where are you and when can I pick him up?”
Sam had received a medical examination at the shelter, during which they scanned him and discovered his microchip. They were able to track him down to the Joy family after that.
On the same day, Michael travelled eight hours to Ohio, hoping Sam would recognize him. Michael and Sam had both grown up a lot in those years.
“You can see the excitement on my face when we go up there and I’m waiting for them to take Sam out.” Michael said, “I was like a kid on Christmas.”
Michael and Sam were both overjoyed! He couldn’t help but wag his tail and jump all over his dad.
Michael and Sam were both overjoyed! He couldn’t help but wag his tail and jump all over his dad. It’s safe to say Michael won’t be allowing Sam out of his sight for a long time.
