Family Dog Runs Away During Hurricane, Two Years And 1,200 Miles Later Family Gets A Big Surprise (Pictures & Story)

Author image for Blake Seidel
Blake Seidel • Managing Editor & Brand Manager
Nov 15, 2023 2:00 PM EST

One of the biggest fears you have as a pet pawrent is your pet running away and not being able to find them. Well, that happened to the Leuning family in Galveston, Texas. Their adorable, energetic pitbull pup named 'Bolt' accidentally got out right as the family was preparing for a hurricane. They searched after it was safe to go out, but they didn't succeed to find Bolt. But don't you worry, this story has a wholesome tail-wagging ending!

Luckily, they got Bolt microchipped, and he was found by an elderly woman nearby. She took care of Bolt for a few years, but then decided to try to find the original owners. Thanks to the microchip, Bolt was able to reconnect with his original family even though they moved after the hurricane to a completely different state! We love some heartwarming doggo content, don't you? And let's be honest, there isn't much cuter than an adorable velvet hippo, AKA, pitbull!

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    RONCO CHEYENNE caf, HEVENNE pite 9 CHEYENNE capitals
    via Greg Johnson, Cowboy State Daily

    Dogs are such a great addition to the family. There's no better feeling than coming home and seeing your dog excited to see you - it's such a pure version of love that instantly makes all your worries go away, even if only for a few seconds. What a happy-looking family!

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    Cheezburger Image 9836924672
    via Fort Worth Animal Care and Control

    Bolt! His name fits him very well, because he bolted out the door and caused this whole drama. We can't be mad at that face for very long though (or even at all) because he looks like a bundle of joy. We want to eat him up and we're so happy they got reunited!

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    via Fort Worth Animal Care and Control
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    Cheezburger Image 9836925184
    via Fort Worth Animal Care and Control
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    Cheezburger Image 9836924928
    via Fort Worth Animal Care and Control
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    CHEYENNE capita M FRO P CO CHEYENNE apitas
    via Greg Johnson, Cowboy State Daily
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    Cheezburger Image 9836925440
    via Greg Johnson, Cowboy State Daily
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    In the aftermath of the hurricane and with her husband ill, Alexis made the difficult decision to leave Texas - and Bolt's uncertain fate - to move back to her hometown of Cheyenne. But in a happy twist of fate, just last month the family was reunited with their four-legged buddy thanks to dedicated shelter employees - and a tiny microchip.
    via Wendy Corr
  • 09
    So when Bolt, well, bolted, the family did everything it could to find him, calling local shelters and searching everywhere they knew to look for their family pet. "We searched high, low, here, there, everywhere," said Leuning. But the search was in vain. And just two months later, they had to make another move, this time back to Cheyenne 1,000 away from Bolt's uncertain fate.
    via Wendy Corr
  • 10
    Meanwhile, unknown to the Leuning family, Bolt was alive and well and living with an elderly woman who rescued him from the storm. Meghan Bittel, foster coordinator for Fort Worth Animal Care and Control, said she doesn't believe the woman had malicious intent when she took the stray in rather than call a shelter.
    via Wendy Corr
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    This October, a young pit bull named Poppy was surrendered to Fort Worth Animal Care and Control. The woman who dropped him off explained that her mother had gone into hospice and could no longer care for the dog. Bittel and the staff at the shelter followed protocol, which dictates a full body scan for microchips for every animal arriving there. And Poppy had a chip.
    via Wendy Corr
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    "We reached out to her and told her, 'Hey, so we have this dog come in that has your microchip," said Bittel. "And she's like, 'Who would that be?' And so we explained the dog to her. And she said, 'Oh my gosh, that's Bolt.""
    via Wendy Corr
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    Almost a year to the day after his funeral, receiving a phone call saying Bobby's dog had been found was quite a shock, Leuning said. "It was just like, 'Oh my gosh, I can't believe he's alive," she said. "I had to catch my breath for a second, because that day changed everything for me." Telling the kids was another other level of joy.
    via Wendy Corr
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    "So, I come home, and I sit my kids down and I said, 'Mom got a really interesting phone call today," she said. "And they asked me like, 'OK, well, what was it, mom?' And I said, 'Well, do you remember Bolt? How would you feel if he came home?"" As the children stared at her in bewilderment, Leuning told them about the phone call from Fort Worth Animal Care and Control.
    via Wendy Corr
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    "Both of the kids just started crying in excitement," she said. "My daughter loved that dog, and she instantly started crying."
    via Wendy Corr
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    On a sunny day in November, Leuning and her two children went to meet Bolt at the airport. "Of course, it was instant tears as soon as we saw him come off the plane," said Leuning. "All three of us were crying. I mean, we were just so happy and excited to see him." Bittel said the entire experience has shown the value of microchipping pets.
    via Wendy Corr
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    Leuning said re-integrating with the family that Bolt had been separated from for the last two years was nearly seamless. "Once we got home and he kind of realized, 'OK, I'm home, this is mom, these are my kids,' you would have thought no time had passed," she said. "I mean, the minute he got into the house, I sat down on the couch, and he's right there next to me just like when he was a puppy."
    via Wendy Corr

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hurricane aww wholesome dogs cute dogs adorable pets heartwarming cute true story surprise story family animals
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