# Dora the German Shepherd was missing for 7 months



## Pleasant_Guy (May 31, 2010)

I saw this online today and thought I would share:

Dora the German Shepherd was missing for 7 months, but thanks to a microchip that was implanted under her skin, she was finally reunited with her family at Collin County Animals Services in Mckinney, TX. Her reaction is nothing short of amazing, and it brought tears to my eyes!

You Have To See This Dog’s Reaction To Being Rescued, I’m In Tears! | PetFlow Blog - The most interesting news for pet parents around the world.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Dora's body language didn't look very happy she was reunited. She looks like she'd run again if she got the chance.


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

Yeah she doesn't. Do dogs remember their owners after 7 months? I'd think my dog would go crazy to see me but i'd be even crazier. 
Not sure if he'd remember me that long though. 


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

Another question. I heard that if a dog gets lost and winds up in the shelter they have to be fixed before going back to their owners. Is that true?

I wrote 'pls no shelter' on his tags mainly because I don't want him to get stressed going to the shelter but also because I don't want him neutered. Or given any shots. Anything. And I'm afraid shelters have their protocols. I'm hoping I get lucky and the people that find him will call one of the 3 phone numbers on his tags 

Having said that, I'm hoping he never runs away. But I can drop dead while walking him. 


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Of course he would remember you. He'd remember your scent first before even seeing your face...


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## Anubis_Star (Jul 25, 2012)

I don't think she shows body signs typical of being beaten, persay. I say she's a very nervous dog and is showing typical appeasement signals, which I tend to see in very nervous dogs in breeds like border collies and aussies. But the fact that she's curling in to him and placing her paw on him, I don't see this at all as fear of him. 

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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Depends on the shelter....most make you pay up front for a spay/neuter when adopting. Dogs that are reclaimed are usually never s/n'd during the hold time. 
But I know a few shelters that will order it if the dog is picked up more than 2x's. And the reclaim fee's are higher, or fines given. That is one reason many in my county don't reclaim, they don't want to pay for getting their dogs out of jail, so just leave them there


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## nikon22shooter (Dec 5, 2013)

Wow, I thought she was gonna to snap at him. That body language was very intense! Definitely not a happy homecoming.


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

onyx'girl said:


> Depends on the shelter....most make you pay up front for a spay/neuter when adopting. Dogs that are reclaimed are usually never s/n'd during the hold time.
> But I know a few shelters that will order it if the dog is picked up more than 2x's. And the reclaim fee's are higher, or fines given. That is one reason many in my county don't reclaim, they don't want to pay for getting their dogs out of jail, so just leave them there




How much is the fee? 
I'd borrow if I didn't have enough. Leaving him in the shelter is not an option. Payment plans. Something. Is if over 1k?



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## ZoeD1217 (Feb 7, 2014)

I've seen this one before and while she does look terrified you never really know what has happened to her in her 7 months on the streets. I wouldn't automatically assume she was scared of her owner. 

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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

lalachka said:


> How much is the fee?
> I'd borrow if I didn't have enough. Leaving him in the shelter is not an option. Payment plans. Something. Is if over 1k?
> 
> 
> ...


Probably about $250, but many people treat dogs way differently than you and I. Easy come easy go and why pay to get it out and pay a fine if you can just get another pup from CL or whereever. Responsible people do care, will pay, the ones that aren't wont/don't. Or they clearly just cannot afford it.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

ZoeD1217 said:


> I've seen this one before and while she does look terrified you never really know what has happened to her in her 7 months on the streets. I wouldn't automatically assume she was scared of her owner.
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


I agree, if the dog jumped fence during fireworks she probably has nerve issues to begin with.


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## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

lalachka said:


> Yeah she doesn't. Do dogs remember their owners after 7 months? I'd think my dog would go crazy to see me but i'd be even crazier.
> Not sure if he'd remember me that long though.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Ranger was given to us by my MIL when he was around 4 months old. She did not see him again for at least 6 months. When she did come to visit, he went nuts, he knew exactly who was coming up the walkway, pretty fun to watch.


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

onyx'girl said:


> Probably about $250, but many people treat dogs way differently than you and I. Easy come easy go and why pay to get it out and pay a fine if you can just get another pup from CL or whereever. Responsible people do care, will pay, the ones that aren't wont/don't. Or they clearly just cannot afford it.



Yeah I try not to judge. For me, for example, anything over 1k means I have to borrow or wait 2 weeks lol and then be in a hole with other bills. 
Someone else 10k is nothing. Someone else 100 bucks is a lot of money. 

I read about people spending 10k on vet bills for their dogs. That's way over anything I can afford. I'm hoping to never be put in the position where I have to decide whether to spend money and get him better or let him suffer. It's a tough choice and everyone has their limits. 




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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

Nigel said:


> Ranger was given to us by my MIL when he was around 4 months old. She did not see him again for at least 6 months. When she did come to visit, he went nuts, he knew exactly who was coming up the walkway, pretty fun to watch.



Thank you, this warms my heart. I love him a little too much. 

I sometimes have thoughts like if someone else bought him he'd love them just as much and it hurts a little))))
Weird stuff I think about. 

I also wonder sometimes, if he had a choice of owners, would he choose me?


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

lalachka said:


> Yeah she doesn't. Do dogs remember their owners after 7 months? I'd think my dog would go crazy to see me but i'd be even crazier.
> Not sure if he'd remember me that long though.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App





onyx'girl said:


> Of course he would remember you. He'd remember your scent first before even seeing your face...


Just from my recent experience.. I was deployed for 7 months last year. Titan was brought to the airport to meet me, and he didn't really show much interest when I got up to him. He was more concerned about everyone else walking by and how busy it was. He sniffed me, and then went back to the girl who was watching him. While it broke my heart, I knew that it was because he adapted to living with her for so long. 

When she brought him to my house.. everything was different. He saw me in the door way and barked at me then ran past me sniffing EVERYTHING. Came back to check me out again and everything went back to normal. 

I didn't get the reunion that I had hoped for at all, but it is what it is. He's still my baby and everything went back super quick to normal.. from our previous routine to knowing where I kept things.. it was pretty cool to see he remembered that stuff. 

Something I always wondered was if he had stayed at my place the whole time with someone watching him there, vs me uprooting him to a whole new location, if that would have made a difference... I'm interested to see his reaction to my BF when he comes home since we have been at the same house the whole time he has been gone.. then again this go around was only 3 months.



lalachka said:


> Thank you, this warms my heart. I love him a little too much.
> 
> I sometimes have thoughts like if someone else bought him he'd love them just as much and it hurts a little))))
> Weird stuff I think about.
> ...


I think this too sometimes. And the thought hurts a bit, but I think it is all based on the dog. For me, I have learned that Titan is a very adaptable dog. He responds to me and shows affections, but he did the same when I was on my deployment with my friend. But I know dogs that are not that way and would choose their current owner over every single person in the world.. I have just accepted that Titan is adaptable.. very very adaptable. Especially if he is getting everything he needs, food, water, exercise, mental stimulation, love, and a tennis ball  

I will say though.. that I get a different reaction from him if I just go away for a few weeks.. he goes bonkers when I get back, but then shoots back inside to play with the people watching him.. so I think timing makes a big difference.


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

While you might've not gotten the reunion you wanted this means that he didn't suffer when you went away. 

I'm torn between enjoying the fact that he goes crazy every time I come home and the fact that he's hysterical, that can't feel good to him. 

It's tough, when you love them you have to learn to step over yourself. 

Yours is adaptable but he's happy and content. Mine throws fits and is hysterical and shaking when he sees me but the anxiety must feel horrible to him. 


Tough))))) 


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

Very true. I actually didn't think about it like that.. do you know if your boy is anxious when you aren't there (like if he's witha friend or something) or is it one of those he's just so excited to see you things?


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## ApselBear (Feb 10, 2014)

Dora the Explorer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## stmcfred (Aug 13, 2013)

Reminds me of this story around where I live. 

How a missing dog named Angel was reunited with an Ohio family after 4 1/2 years | cleveland.com


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

wyoung2153 said:


> Very true. I actually didn't think about it like that.. do you know if your boy is anxious when you aren't there (like if he's witha friend or something) or is it one of those he's just so excited to see you things?



Lol I have a camera for him. I bought it because I wanted to make sure he's not anxious when I'm gone and he's not))))) he sleeps all day, just goes hysterical when I come back, screaming, barking, and jumping all over the place. Goes on for a few mins. That can't feel good to him. 

And yep, lol, there are always good sides to every bad thing. Your dog is happy and that's what really matters)))))


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Now this is a happy reunion! https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10202079392322146&set=vb.1107330023&type=2&theater


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

ApselBear said:


> Dora the Explorer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I have been waiting for this comment!


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Sinister acts like he hasn't seen me in years everytime I come home from work or everytime I walk back to him after leaving him with a friend for a minute. He's all over me, whining, tail wagging, happy as can be. We would be a mess if we were reunited after 7 months. Every time I think of animals reuniting with their humans, I think of Danielle's (DJEtzel) dog Frag reuniting with her ex boyfriend, his daddy. :wub:


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## ApselBear (Feb 10, 2014)

LaRen616 said:


> I have been waiting for this comment!


You should have beat me to it!
ETA: the only reason I started reading the thread was to see if anyone had mentioned the cartoon lol 

Here's the ultimate reunion video though...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btuxO-C2IzE


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Christian the Lion story was so amazing. 
When I returned from a week long mission trip, both my females went nuts when they saw me. My male just grabbed his ball, and went to the slider, as his usual greeting, 'lets PLAY!'. He didn't know if I was gone for an hour or a week, lol.
I felt a bit sad that he wasn't like the girls, but then his breeder put it into perspective. 
He is not anxious when I'm not around him, he doesn't have SA and is a happy balanced boy regardless.


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