It’s often said that a dog is a man’s best friend. So, when a Colorado family’s dog went missing two years ago, their hearts were broken. Even harder, the military family had to move to New York and knew that it would be unlikely they would ever see Bear again.
But the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region (HSPPR) never gave up on the family’s dog. They were determined that one day they would reunite Bear with his family. Two years later, they were able to keep that promise.
Brandy Ross said that at the time Bear went missing, the family had left him with the pet sitter. And no matter how hard they searched, the family was not able to find their furry family member. “Like, that was the hardest part. (We were) going home after I had left him with the sitter and then coming home to not having my dog,” she said.
Missing dog Bear, who was reunited with family after going missing for years. Photo by WKBT News 8 Now/YouTube
Soon after, the military moved the family to New York, and they had no choice but to leave without their dog. But in July, unbeknownst to the family, Bear was spotted by volunteers for the shelter, and they began working to catch the dog. They placed trail cameras in the area where he had been seen, as well as set up feeding stations.
“We then set up a time to put up what’s called a messy trap. So, it’s a giant trap where they walk in, they hit a light, basically towards the back that triggers the door to close,” said Danielle Neiner, the volunteer who found Bear.
He was pretty matted, very dirty, all that different stuff. (He was) underweight. But health-wise … no health problems,” she said.
And it worked – a few weeks later, Bear was captured. A quick scan of his microchip confirmed what they had though, two years after he went missing, Bear was now safe. When she was told that they were working to capture her dog, Ross said she was in disbelief.
“The whole night I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, is this my dog?’ And then she read the numbers and she’s like, ‘It’s him.’ And I was like, ‘No way.’ And I was literally bawling my eyes out,” she said. “Even now I’m in shock that this is him.”
Bear had been spotted on trail cameras before rescuers caught him. Photo: WKBT News 8 Now/YouTube
Bear’s family immediately got ready for him to come home. “We already bought all of his bed and his bowls, and my kids helped me buy him toys. And I video with him, every week, a couple times a week,” Ross said right before Bear came home to New York. “To now be like, ‘He’s OK.’ It’s weird. It was crazy. Our emotions were everywhere,” she said. Bear is happily back home with his family.
For the HSPPR, this was a good moment to remind everyone about how important the volunteers “This story touches our hearts in a way that you probably couldn’t imagine,” HSPPR finished its Facebook post. ” We told these volunteers … out of the kindness of their hearts, they worked their butts off for Bear. It all paid off in the end…”
