Police reunite dog who was missing for 8 years with owner

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The Knox County Sheriff’s Office facilitated a reunion fit for a Hallmark movie when they found a long-lost dog and returned her to her owner.

In 2011, Oreo was taken from her owner, Ms. Dove, in Gatlinburg, and Ms. Dove feared she would never see her four-legged friend ever again, according to a Facebook post from the Knox County Sheriff’s Office.Eight years later, on Sunday, Dove got the surprise of a lifetime when some Good Samaritans and Animal Control Officer Parrot found Oreo.

Luckily, Oreo was microchipped, so when Officer Parrot scanned her, all of Dove’s information popped up.

Oreo’s story shows just how important microchips are in returning lost pets to their owners.

One study from the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association looked at 7,700 stray animals entering animal shelters and found that dogs without microchips were returned to their owners only 21.9 percent of the time, while dogs with microchips were returned to their owners 52.2 percent of the time.

If your pet isn’t microchipped, your veterinarian can easily implant these small, safe chips at minimal cost. It’s also important to keep your pet’s microchip information — things like your phone number and address — up to date.

“We are thankful this was a happy ending!” the Knox County Sheriff’s Office wrote about Oreo’s return home. “It looks like ‘Oreo’ will be living her best life now.”