Mother’s Day was this past weekend, a perfect time for being with your family. And it was an extra special one for one family, who unexpectedly reunited with their lost dog — who was nabbed at the scene of a crime.
Many people went out and bought flowers for mom this weekend, but one man in Lytle, Texas decided he wasn’t going to pay for them. According to KSAT, the man tried to steal a $15 flower arrangement from a H-E-B supermarket, but was caught by the manager.
When the man fled, he left his dog behind, and the Shih Tzu was brought to the local animal control — who soon found out it wasn’t his dog at all.
The dog had a microchip, identifying her as a dog who had been missing for two years!
Owners Mark and Belinda Gonzales soon got a phone call they never expected. After the dog, Leela, disappeared from their home in Bexar County two years ago, they assumed she was gone for good.
“One morning we were looking for her and she was gone. She never came back,” Mark Gonzales told My San Antonio. “We searched for months down the neighborhood. We thought a coyotes or something got her.”
“It’s the craziest thing in the world,” the couple told KSAT. “We never expected to see her again.”
They certainly never expected Leela to come home after being picked up from the scene of a crime, but Lytle Police Chief Richard Priest says the dog “isn’t facing any charges, as we can’t prove he engaged in the theft.”
“Hopefully, the dog hasn’t been on (a) 2-year crime spree and picked up bad habits,” he joked.
“I’ve never had somebody leave their dog there when they commit a theft,” Priest told My San Antonio. “Nothing says I love you mom like stolen flowers.”
The couple has now reunited with Leela after two years, and said they’re most excited for their son, who was eight when the dog disappeared. Mark emphasized that the unexpected reunion was only possible because of microchipping, and encouraged others to get their dogs chipped.
“It was totally unexpected. Thank God my wife got her chipped, spayed and her shots back in 2018,” he said. “I encourage people to chip their dogs, either way you might get your dog back. This is a strange way to get my dog back, but at least we got her back.”
Life works in mysterious ways. This is certainly not how anyone expected Leela to come home, but we’re glad she’s back safe and sound and away from her “life of crime”!
It’s also a reminder to get your pets microchipped, which makes heartwarming reunions like this possible!
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