A couple who routinely rescue dogs was heartbroken six years ago when two dogs they saved disappeared. But Amanda Hulebak and her husband were stunned recently when they received a call that one of the dogs had been found.
Amanda Hulebak has picked up many stray dogs that she’s found in parking lots or pulled from animal shelters in Hockley, Texas. But Tessa and Rey were two dogs that got away. Six years ago, someone opened the gate to her backyard and the two dogs got out. Amanda wrote on Facebook:
“It’s no secret to anyone that I’m a tiny bit head over heels in love with my dogs… just a little lol! That’s why, almost 6 years ago, I was completely heartbroken when my dogs, Rey and Tessa, disappeared from my yard. I let them outside in the backyard one evening to play and when I went to bring them inside, I found the gate open and they were missing. I’ve always known in my heart that the gate was opened intentionally by someone and they were let out on purpose… there were even rumors, through mutual friends, that they were poisoned… but that didn’t stop me from looking for them.”
She searched for them for a year but gave up hope of ever seeing them again.
“Although both of them were microchipped, I relentlessly knocked on doors, made flyers, searched my neighborhood, called shelters, etc etc etc but eventually, after about a year of trying to find them, I cried myself into acceptance that they had most likely been stolen, or even killed… and have cried and prayed for their safety ever since.”
Then she got a phone call from Missouri City Animal Control.
They had a dog with a microchip with her name and contact information. She knew it had to be Tessa or Rey. It was Tessa, and their joyous reunion at the shelter was recorded.
Tessa walks right through the door and into Amanda’s waiting arms.
Amanda learned that Tessa had been adopted out at another shelter and ran away from that home. She doesn’t know why the shelter had never scanned Tessa for a microchip, but she was overjoyed to see Tessa again.
Amanda’s joy turned to sadness when she learned what happened to Rey. The day after Tessa was found, someone contacted her to say they recognized his photo and she traced him to another shelter. Records show he had been adopted and then returned to the shelter where he was subsequently euthanized.
As sad as she was to learn of Rey’s fate, Amanda takes comfort in that Tessa is back where she belongs. She wrote:
“After being reunited with my sweet girl, we immediately reconnected! If she could talk, I can only imagine the stories she’d tell. Even though we both look a little different than we did 6 years ago, I truly believe she remembers me… she has a bunch of grey hair, a few lumps on her body that definitely need to be checked out, some missing teeth, and she doesn’t move as fast as she once did, but as soon as she was done with her bath, she jumped right into our bed and curled up in my lap the same way she did 6 years ago… and she even responds to her name! I’m extremely happy to say that she is resting peacefully in my arms, once again!”
Share this touching reunion with your family and friends.
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