LOUISBURG, Kansas (KCTV) — A Northern California woman lost her beloved dog and, after months of searching, she thought she’d never see him again. Now, he might be home just in time for Christmas!
Heather Reichart finds strays in her Kansas pasture all the time. But something told her this one was different.
“I went out to the pasture to see what our dog was barking at and found him,” Reichart recalled.
“Ultimately kept him at the house overnight and brought him in yesterday morning,” she said. “The rest is history.”
Reichart brought the dog, who is named Zeppelin, to the Wildcat Vet Clinic in Louisburg. They were able to identify Zeppelin through his microchip.
“You just scan it and the number that comes up,” said Aaron Stohs, a veterinarian. “It’s pretty cool. You just type it in on the web.”
It turns out that Zeppelin’s home is 1,625 miles away in Sacramento, California!
“We were sitting here this morning, talking about, ‘We wish he could tell us the story about where he’s been,” Stohs said.
His owner, Sandra O’Neil, got to see Zeppelin on FaceTime. It was the first time she’d seen him since he went missing 14 months ago.
She said hope was never fully lost. The day before he was found, she sent up a prayer for his return.
“I drove by the last place I saw him and said a little prayer,” she recalled. “I said, ‘I hope you make it home someday.’ The very next day, I got a call. They found him.”
Now comes the long trek home. Complete strangers are already jumping on board to be part of this journey, driving Zeppelin from Kansas to California.
“I know you don’t know us. You don’t know the dog. But I just appreciate you so much, for everything anybody has done to promote him to coming home. It’s just a blessing. Merry Christmas to all of you!” O’Neil said.
A request has been put in for Pilot for Paws to fly him home even sooner. That option would be completely free.
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