Roscoe, a beagle who had been lost for eight years from his home in Wichita, Kansas, was reunited with his family last month after being spotted more than 1,000 miles away.
“When he got out of the van the morning he returned home, he came straight to me wagging his tail,” his 41-year-old owner Nicolle Leon told Fox News Digital.
“When I carried him inside, my children had just awoken. He was all over them with his tail wagging with such enthusiasm. I wasn’t sure if he would remember us, but based on his behavior, I believe he does.”
Roscoe went missing in early 2015 when he was just one year old, not long after Leon gave the puppy to her children Alani, 8, and Alex, 5, as a gift, she said.
When the family returned home, Roscoe had already left.
Leon stated that there were no traces of him escaping or holes dug beneath the fence.
She continued, “I always had the feeling that someone stole him or found him and kept him, and whoever had him knew he was missing or stolen.”
He was microchipped, but I never received a single phone call in all these years.
Leon stated that she contacted her local Humane Society and animal shelter and posted posters, but Roscoe was never found and her children were devastated by the loss.
Leon stated that the family continued to discuss him for years, as recently as a few weeks before he was located.
Unbelievable turn of events
Here, the plot takes an abrupt shift. Katherine Miller and Shae DeBerry encountered Roscoe in Caldwell, Idaho, which is exactly 1,033 miles to the northwest.
DeBerry is the administrator of the Facebook account for Lost & Found Pets of Caldwell, where images of Roscoe were uploaded.
Miller is a volunteer animal advocate. She was just given a microchip scanner to assist in identifying lost pets in her region.
DeBerry stated, “Many of us in rescue have purchased [microchip scanners] because there is a need.”
Nicolle Leon, Roscoe’s owner, wanted to ensure that bringing him home after eight years was safe and that he hadn’t been claimed by another family in Idaho who may have been caring for him.
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“There is literally nowhere for animals to go if animal control is not on duty,” she continued.
Leon stated she was traveling for business in Texas when she received a late-night phone call informing her that her puppy had been located.
“I was asleep and at first believed one of my other dogs had escaped while I was at work,” Leon explained.
“However, after speaking with her and failing to recognize the address, and then learning that she was in Idaho, I responded, ‘Oh, that’s not my dog. “I reside in Kansas,” Leon remembered.
Leon asked the woman what kind of dog it was, and she confirmed that it was a beagle.
Leon stated, “I knew immediately it was my missing dog”
A Caldwell woman was the one who discovered Roscoe and uploaded his photo on the Caldwell Facebook group.
Katherine Miller contacted the woman after seeing her post on Facebook. Miller and DeBerry then contacted the microchip business, which provided them with the Leon family’s details, DeBerry said.
“It was also a ‘wow’ moment because Roscoe was the first animal for Katherine to scan, and he’d been missing for most of his life,” DeBerry added.
Roscoe was transported to the animal shelter of the West Valley Humane Society in Caldwell to await collection.
“At that point, I was in contact with Nicolle [Leon] to have her fill out a form, so I could claim him on her behalf,” DeBerry stated.
“When I picked up Roscoe, I believe he was unhappy and confused about all the changes. He was likely wondering where his owner was, or who had him for so long. “He was timid and certainly not the cheerful youngster that Nicolle Leon and her family now have at home,” DeBerry noted.
Prior to attempting to get Roscoe, Leon had a crucial question for DeBerry.
Leon stated, “I told them, ‘Look, if he’s been taken care of by a good family, I’m not going to take that away from them.’”
“However, if no one comes forward to claim him, I cannot abandon him knowing how much time we have spent searching for him,” she added.
But no one posted or called the Humane Society to report their missing dog, so Leon arranged for Roscoe to be sent back to Kansas on January 13 via a transport driver.
It means a great deal to Leon that two strangers took the time and made the effort to reconnect her with her lost puppy.
Leon stated, “Without Katherine and Shae, I may not have been able to bring him home safely.”
Leon said she speaks to both Miller and DeBerry practically everyday now. The three women intend to meet in the future.
“We’re already discussing it,” Leon stated. “There are so many excellent people in the world who are making a significant impact. My children and I am truly grateful to both of them.”
Leon stated that Roscoe has been receiving a great deal of attention ever since he returned home.
“There is no shortage of love in our home,” she added. “Roscoe is spoiled, and we are lavishing him with affection.”
Roscoe has made fast friends with the other two Leon family dogs, who joined the family eight years after Roscoe disappeared.
The children of Leon still cannot believe Roscoe has returned to their life.
Alani Leon, now 17 years old, told Fox News Digital, “I was roughly 8 years old when Roscoe vanished.”
“I recall being sad that our friend was no longer with us,” she continued. “I am still in disbelief that he is with us once more.”
Leon stated that after his spectacular voyage, Roscoe now seemed satisfied to remain at home.
Leon stated, “I’ve brought him out to the front with me when I take out the trash can or get the mail, and he stays right next to me.”
The family has pondered how and why Roscoe traveled so far from home, as well as what he may have been doing during that period.
Leon stated, “I wish he could speak so poorly and tell us his story.” We asked him, but he refused to answer.
The family’s attention is now on Roscoe’s future.
Alani Leon stated, “Not knowing his past life and how his last eight years have been is difficult, but knowing we can give him the best for the remainder of his life is wonderful.”
DeBerry stated that she is satisfied with the cheerful ending of Roscoe.
“It’s an incredible feeling to know that one post brought so much joy to a family,” DeBerry added. Catherine and I are grateful to have participated.
As a volunteer who sees many missing animals in her city alone, DeBerry advised pet owners to microchip their animals because pet theft is “becoming increasingly prevalent.”
DeBerry stated, “Places like Petco’s Vetco or Vet IQ, local veterinary offices, and microchipping events will microchip for as little as $35, and registration is free for life.”
Thankfully, Nicolle maintained the accuracy of her information.
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