Owner finds her stolen dog online 8 years after he was snatched, Ohio shelter says

An Ohio woman’s beloved dog is back home where he belongs eight years after he was stolen during a home invasion, the Summit County Humane Society said.

Julia Nemeth’s dog Junior was only a year old when he was snatched from her home during a break-in, the humane society said in a Dec. 22 Facebook post. She was living in Barberton, WJW reported.

For years, Nemeth scoured lost-pet Facebook pages and local shelter websites for her “friendly, devoted and smart” Junior, but to no avail. At one point, Julia thought she found her pup on Craigslist, but the seller never responded to her message, the humane society said.

Junior’s journey back to Nemeth began in July 2018 when the dog was surrendered to the Summit County Humane Society. He became known as Buddy — a staff favorite.

“Buddy” was adopted — and returned — three times, the shelter said, adding that staff members had no idea Junior had “a family that had never given up on him.”

In mid-December, eight years after Junior went missing, Nemeth noticed his photo on the humane society’s website and called the organization as quickly as she could.

Humane society staff compared photos of Junior to their “Buddy” and noted that “Buddy’s” personality and quirks were in line with how Nemeth described Junior.

The pair were reunited that day.

“During the initial meeting, Junior was a bit distracted but instantly connected with Julia, licking his long lost owner’s face as if there was a glimmer of a memory,” the humane society said.

Years before, Nemeth taught Junior hand signals. She performed the signals upon their meeting to see how Junior would respond — and he obeyed them perfectly, according to the organization.

Julia brought in her family to meet Junior, now 9 years old, the next day before taking the dog home that evening.

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

Since returning home, Junior has bonded with the Nemeths’ four children and their other dog, the organization said. He loves to snuggle on the couch, play catch, chew on his toys and “keep a watchful eye” on his family.

Barberton is just southwest of Akron in Summit County.

This story was originally published December 22, 2020 at 1:23 PM with the headline "Owner finds her stolen dog online 8 years after he was snatched, Ohio shelter says."