A Nebraska family was reunited with their missing dog when he turned up five years later at an Indiana truck stop about 642 miles from home.
Lincoln resident Inmaculada Jackman said her family’s dog, Chong, escaped from home in 2021, prompting a years-long search for the missing pet.
“I still looked for him,” Jackman told KOLN-TV. “We still went to our old neighborhood and drove around and looked to see if we could see anyone walking him or if he was running around somewhere.”
The search finally came to an end when a friend sent Jackman a Facebook post from the Hendricks County Animal Shelter in Indiana.
Chong had been found outside the Loves Truckstop in Pittsboro, about 642 miles from home.
Jackson contacted the shelter, but there was one problem — Chong had been microchipped by someone else in Lincoln sometime after his escape.
“Since he was chipped to someone else they had to follow protocol,” Jackman wrote on Facebook. “They attempted to contact the phone numbers on file however they did not receive a response after the 3 days they had to wait.”
Chong was put up for adoption after the required waiting period, and Jackman made the drive to Indiana with Cong’s brother, Cheech, to bring the pet home.
“He recognized not only his owner, but his brother as well,” the shelter wrote. “He has a full home filled with open arms eagerly awaiting his return!”
Chong’s journey during the past 5 years remains a mystery, but Jackman said she and her family are just happy to have him home.
“Never lose hope,” Jackman said. “It’s been five years and we found him.”
