Michael Joy lost his three dogs in 2016, but only two came back. Despite checking all the local shelters and searching everywhere, he couldn't find Sam, his 4-month-old Lab cross.
Michael promised his wife he would find Sam and never gave up hope. Although Michael and his family moved to Kentucky, he made regular trips back to their previous home in Georgia, hoping that Sam might still turn up there.
After almost five years of searching, Michael received an unexpected call from City Dogs Cleveland, informing him that they had found Sam.
Michael was initially skeptical, as he couldn't believe that Sam would end up in Ohio, almost near Michigan. However, the shelter described Sam as a lighter-haired dog, and Michael asked when he could pick him up.
It turned out that the shelter had scanned Sam's microchip during a medical exam, which led them to trace him back to the Joy family.
Michael immediately drove for eight hours to Ohio when he received the call that Sam was found. He was anxious whether Sam would remember him after all those years.
When the shelter brought Sam out, Michael's face was filled with anticipation, "like a kid on Christmas," he said. Fortunately, Sam recognized him and was equally excited, wagging his tail and jumping all over his dad.
Michael will definitely be keeping a closer eye on Sam from now on!
