Lost dog reunited with Texas family after three years

(UPI) A Texas family whose dog went missing in April 2018 was reunited with their pet nearly three years later when he turned up at a local shelter.

Eileen Russell, of Waco, said her dog, Rocky, disappeared after a day of wandering her property in Waco with the family's other dog.

"They had wandered around the property before, so we weren't too terribly concerned," Russell told KCEN-TV.

"It got dark and he didn't come back but my other dog did. We put posters all over the neighborhood, rode around on my ATV, rode around in the car, looking, looking everywhere for him."

Russell posted photos of Rocky to Facebook and the family kept up the search for their missing canine, but they eventually came to the conclusion that Rocky had likely met his end with the local coyote population.

The woman said she was shocked nearly three years later when she chanced on a Facebook post from the Humane Society of Central Texas that bore photos of an elderly dog she recognized as Rocky.

The Humane Society said a woman had found the 15-year-old dog lying on the side of a street a few weeks ago and brought him to the shelter, where veterinarians determined he was ill and having trouble standing up.

Rocky was taken to the Old Souls Animal Rescue, where he was initially believed to not have much time left, but officials were surprised when the dog's condition began to improve and he recovered from his illness.

The Humane Society posted about the dog's recovery on Facebook, where he was spotted by Russell.

"We put that post up and just a little while later this woman Eileen sent us a message and said, 'I think that's my dog, my dogs been missing for three years,'" Humane Society Director Paula Rivadeneira said.

Russell sent some photos of Rocky and officials agreed it appeared to be the same dog.

Russell said Rocky is now living comfortably back at home with her family.