When Jourdyn Koziak got a phone call saying her lost dog had been found, she thought it was a sick joke. After all, her pit bull, Forty-Cal, had gone missing 11 years earlier, back when she lived in Philadelphia. Since then, she had gotten married, had another child, and moved to Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. Yet when she took a chance and drove to the Philly shelter, there he was.

“I am overwhelmed. I am shocked. I am in disbelief,” Koziak told Fox 29 News. “I had tunnel vision of him walking down that hallway.”

How the lost pit bull was found

Back in 2015, Forty-Cal and another of Koziak’s dogs went missing from their backyard, presumably stolen. While the other dog was found, Forty-Cal never returned home. Despite this, Koziak never stopped putting up missing signs and kept Forty-Cal’s microchip information up to date.

“I never gave up hope because, obviously, I’m relentless,” Koziak told CBC Radio.

Apparently, Forty-Cal walked up to a little girl in Philadelphia and befriended her. The girl and her parents took him home, fed him hot dogs, and called Animal Control. The shelter then used the information from Forty-Cal’s microchip to contact Koziak and reunite them after more than a decade.

The shelter warned Koziak and her family that Forty-Cal might be overwhelmed and that it could take time for him to recognize them. However, it took only moments for Forty-Cal to realize he was back home.

“We put our hands out, he sniffed us, and then proceeded to pull us towards the door, like, ‘Let’s go,’” said Koziak.

While what happened to Forty-Cal over the past eleven years remains a mystery, Koziak is just grateful that he appears to have been cared for. When Forty-Cal was found, he was clean and well-fed. He was also friendly enough to approach the young girl who found him.

“He acts like he’s a puppy again,” she said. “He wants to go for a walk. He’s wagging his tail…I had other animals in the house, as well, that were family pets, but Forty was my dog. I paid for him with my own money at 16 years old.”

Now that he’s back home, both Forty-Cal and Koziak are making up for lost time.

“I’m over the moon,” she said. “It’s like Christmas morning every day.”

Tips to prevent lost dogs

This reunion wouldn’t have been possible if Koziak hadn’t had Forty-Cal microchipped and kept the information up to date. It’s important to have your dog microchipped and registered for this reason, among others.

There are other ways to help prevent a dog from becoming lost, as well as simple ways to find them should the worst happen. When outdoors, keep your dog leashed and within your line of sight at all times. Make sure your pup is also well trained and responsive to your commands.

Along with microchipping your dog and keeping their tags up to date, there are additional collar options to consider. A bright, vibrant collar can help your dog stand out in the dark and among trees and bushes. A Martingale collar is also recommended, as it stays secure on a dog’s neck without choking them. Lastly, there are collars with built-in GPS systems, as well as devices like the Apple AirTag, which you can attach to a collar to track and pinpoint your dog’s location.

This story is a reminder that sometimes a reunion between a lost pet and its owner takes determination, community, and patience.

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