Dog Lost For 10 Years Is Finally Reunited With Family After 1,600 Miles Away

An Arkansas family used to own a small black dog named Razzle who went missing in 2011, but after a gap of ten years, now in 2021 they are reunited with their beloved pet again

The now old, sickly black dog was living in an animal shelter in Northern California with a microchip that led back to the Howard family.

The dog was six when he went missing and now is 16, and so are the Howard boys who were 8 and 15 when he’d disappeared are now 18 and 25.

Razzle’s health was very bad, and volunteers were fearing for his life saying his situation was “dire” and that “his medical state was so fragile.” The rescuers realised that Razzle had a family somewhere and the family was desperate to have him back again.

So with the family’s permission, Debbie Newton picked Razzle up from the shelter and got him vet care and grooming, and worked tirelessly to improve his health so he could travel, according to a Facebook post. But even with the best care, the vets were of the opinion, he wasn’t fit enough for the drive.

While Debbie worked with Razzle, Jennifer Colletto and Jules Beer searched for a volunteer with wings to help make the match. Jeremy Wade of California, who’d grown up in the area where Razzle’s family lived and had already planned a trip volunteered.

Wade had picked up the piloting hobby two years ago and even participated in the Pilots n Paws charity to help with situations just like this.

“It is impossible generally to get to Arkansas without a stopover, unless [you’re] going to [Northwest Arkansas National Airport] in Fayetteville, where they sometimes have direct flights,” Wade said. “And so it was my pleasure to get to be a part of getting him home.”

“I’d just like to think of myself as a very small part of a very important chain that has to all work to try to reduce the number of homeless or neglected animals out there,” he added.

Now finally on the morning of July 6, Razzle was on his way home. With a brief stop in Santa Fe and after over 11 hours on the plane, Razzle was back in Arkansas, he was barely able to walk, but he was back in his family’s arms. “It was so wonderful to reach in and lift him out of the crate for them to see him for the first time,” Wade said.

Photos and videos of the long-awaited reunion have been shared online, “A couple of days ago, I had the privilege of helping Razzle the dog get back home after being lost from his family for 10 years,” Wade posted on Facebook. “See previous post for details; here is the 2 minute video I made of the journey itself and the time I got to spend with him.”

Vickey Langley, a relative who’d gotten Razzle microchipped for the family back in 2005, was also present. “Getting Razzle back has meant the world to our family,” she said. “We have been overwhelmed with the kindness from all the people who have helped to get him home.”