PITTSBURGH — Twelve years and nearly a thousand miles later, Dutchess the dog was finally reunited with her owners in Florida.
Katheryn Strang said Dutchess, a toy fox terrier, disappeared from their Orlando home in 2007. Since then, she continued to pay the $15 a year for the dog's microchip, never giving up hope that she'd be reunited with her beloved dog.
"I'm just so happy to have her back," Strang said. "I cried so many nights not having her."
Dutchess was recently found near Pittsburgh, according to CBS affiliate KDKA. The Humane Animal Rescue told the news station the dog was found under a shed, had outgrown nails, was dirty and shaking.
When she was turned into the animal rescue, the group checked for a microchip. Dutchess has had one for more than a decade.
"I held out hope because I paid for that microchip every year because this breed is known to live 18 to 20 years," Strang said.
When Strang got the call from Pittsburgh, she and her father drove up from Orlando and are now headed back with Dutchess.
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