One military family in New York has reason to believe anything is paws-ible after being reunited with a long-lost family member.
In 2022, Brandy Ross got news that every dog owner dreads – their beloved family dog, Bear, had gone missing after being left with a pet sitter.
“Like, that was the hardest part … going home after I had left him with the sitter and then coming home to not having my dog,” Ross told KRDO.
Weeks went by and despite sharing online and searching the area, Bear never came home. Shortly after Bear went missing, the heartbroken family PCSed from Colorado Springs to New York.
In July 2024, the family got shocking news when Colorado animal rescue volunteers began having Bear sightings. Over the course of two weeks, the volunteers put out food in hopes of luring Bear home.
“We then set up a time to put up what’s called a messy trap,” Danielle Neiner, a volunteer, told the outlet. “So it’s a giant trap where they walk in. They hit a light, basically towards the back that triggers the door to close. He was pretty matted, very dirty, all that different stuff. He’s definitely underweight, but health-wise, he’s had no health problems.”
Ross couldn’t believe it when volunteers told her Bear had been found and successfully rescued.
“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!’ I was literally bawling my eyes out,” Ross said.
On September 1, Bear made the journey from Colorado to New York to be reunited with his family – a journey that was funded entirely by community members.
“It’s so crazy that he survived for two years in the Colorado weather and to be OK,” Ross told the outlet. “Our emotions were everywhere.”