Michael Joy lived every dog owner’s worst fear in 2016. His three cherished dogs escaped and went missing.Two of the dogs returned, but Sam, the 4-month-old Lab cross, was still missing. Michael investigated all the area shelters and looked everywhere for Sam, but he couldn’t find him.
Hey, I told my wife I’d find this puppy, Michael remarked. I kept an eye on the shelters’ website in case he showed up. I never gave up.Michael and his family eventually moved to Kentucky, but he never gave up hope that Sam was still alive and well. He returned to their former Georgia home frequently, hoping Sam was still there.
Almost five years passed and Michael still hadn’t been able to find Sam.
But then one day, out of nowhere, Michael received a call from City Dogs Cleveland.
“She goes, ‘We have Sam.’ In the back of my mind, I’m going, ‘This can’t be the same Sam!” Michael said.
“This is Ohio! This is, like, almost to Michigan!’”
“So I’m like, ‘Can you describe him for me?’ And she said, ‘He’s a lighter-haired dog,’ and I’m like ‘Where are you and when can I pick him up?’”The shelter had given Sam a medical exam, and in the process they scanned him and found his microchip.They were then able to trace him back to the Joy family.
Michael drove eight hours to Ohio that day, hoping Sam would remember him. Michael and Sam had both changed a lot in those years.
“You can see the excitement on my face as we get up there and wait for them to pull Sam out.” “I felt like a kid on Christmas,” Michael explained.Sam was equally as ecstatic as Michael! He couldn’t help but wag his tail and bounce all over his father.
