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California dog reunited with family 12 years after going missing

The dog had been missing for so long that a microchip company had listed her status as “deceased.”
/ Source: TODAY

A California woman has been reunited with her dog after she went missing 12 years ago.

On Friday, the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office uploaded a video to Facebook that described the unbelievable reunion. 

According to the caption, on Feb. 10 an animal services officer named Brandon Levin received a call about a stray dog who was left at a property near Stockton, Calif. 

The caller described the dog as “old and unwell.”

After Levin scanned the dog, he discovered that her name was Zoey and she was previously reported missing from Lafayette, Calif. in 2010.

“Zoey had been missing for so long, in 2015 the microchip company had actually listed her as ‘deceased’ in their records,” the caption said.

Zoey was found after having been missing for 12 years.
Zoey was found after having been missing for 12 years.San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office

Although Zoey’s owner, Michelle, had moved to Benecia, Calif., she still had the same number. The sheriff’s office called and told her the incredible news. 

Michelle and Zoey’s reunion was captured in a one-minute clip shared on Facebook. 

“She didn’t grow much,” Michelle says after petting Zoey. “She’s so cute!”

Zoey was then shown sleeping on top of a few blankets in the backseat of a car.

In the comments, the San Joaquin Sheriff’s Office explained that they were able to contact Michelle and return Zoey to her on the same day, preventing her from going to a shelter.  

Michelle shared that she found Zoey and her twin sister at the pound when they were just six months old. 

“They were with us for about six months and then we went to the store for about 20 minutes and came back and she was missing,” Michelle recalled. 

“Honestly, I’m still in shock,” she said. “I definitely didn’t expect this to ever happen so I’m really excited.”

Zoey will have a playmate as Michelle also has another 13-year-old dog. 

At the end of the video, Zoey’s owner said she is looking forward to bringing her home and getting her healthy.