Dog Taken During Home Invasion Reunited with Ohio Family 8 Years Later

Christmas came early for an Ohio family after they were reunited with their dog, taken from them during a home invasion eight years ago.

The dog, Junior, was stolen from the family during a home invasion in 2012, but now the family has been reunited with Junior in time for the holiday season, WKYC reported.

Julia Nemeth never gave up hope that Junior, whom she raised as a puppy, would be found despite all those years apart.

“Over the years, she scoured local shelter photos and lost-and-found pet groups online,” according to a press release from the Humane Society of Summit County. “She thought she found him on Craigslist listed for sale, but the poster never responded to her e-mail.”

In July 2018, Junior, who was called Buddy when he was surrendered to the Humane Society of Summit County, was immediately loved by the staff and volunteers at the shelter, WEWS reported.

A veterinarian treated him for tapeworms before he was put up for adoption. Junior was adopted three times in three years, but none of the families seemed to be the right fit, according to the humane society.

Shelter staff knew there would be a family that would take Junior in, but did not know that there was a family already out there searching for him.

Then, one day in mid-December, Nemeth found Junior’s picture and immediately called the shelter. It was at that moment staff matched up photos of Junior to Buddy and realized they might be the same dog.

Nemeth, who is a married mother of four children, brought the family in to meet Junior to see if he really was the dog she was searching for, and they turned out to be a match.

The family brought him home that night, and now the dog is settling in with the family.

“I keep asking my husband to pinch me because I can’t believe this is real,” Nemeth said. “I can’t believe Junior is home. He carried me through the challenges of my life, and to have him back means everything to me.”