Mike Nuanes's Shih Tzu, Jordan, went missing from his Denver home when the dog was just a puppy seven years ago. So when Nuanes received a call from the Fulton County Animal Shelter in Atlanta, he was baffled.
"Being the optimist that I am, when they called me I thought, 'Well, I know he didn't walk to Atlanta, so somebody must have been taking care of him all these years," Nuanes told 11Alive.
During the last week of October, a Good Samaritan gave Jordan to the shelter, and they scanned for a microchip and discovered there was an owner. Rather than flying the dog home, Nuanes flew to Georgia himself with food, food bowls, a leash and a new collar in tow.
Nuanes flew home with Jordan on his lap, and said other passengers on the plane allowed him to sit in the front row. Now, Jordan has acclimated to life with Nuanes's four other dogs.
"They accepted him right in and they're getting closer to him," he said. "Life is good at the Nuanes household for the dogs."