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Her family may never know what she endured for the last 5 years, but they’re overjoyed to be reunited with their now 17-year old longhaired Dachshund, Lady.
Lady was 12 years old went she went missing from her family’s Brooklyn, Connecticut home. Rick and Michelle Riendeau had searched for Lady many years ago when she disappeared, but, because they lived in a heavily wooded area, they feared the worst.
“We thought she was gone,” Rick Riendeau told the Norwich Bulletin, having feared that their beloved Lady had been killed by wolves or had wandered off to die in the woods. “She’s the greatest dog we’ve ever had.”
Norwich, Connecticut’s Assistant Animal Control Officer, Donna Gremminger, said she spotted the senior Dachshund last Thursday in a parking lot in Mohegan Park, believing her to have been abandoned. But, after scanning the dog for a microchip, they learned she was registered to the Riendeau’s.
The overjoyed family rushed to the shelter as soon as they got the news. “We found out an hour ago. I couldn’t believe it,” Riendeau said. “We headed here as soon as we heard.”
The Riendeau’s adopted Lady in 2001, when their kids were just 5 and 7 years old. The pup instantly became a cherished member of the family.
Although Lady is quite a bit older than when they saw her last, and she’s lost much of her sight and hearing, the family were overwhelmed with emotion and so grateful to have her back in their lives.
“Our kids are in their 20s now, married with kids of their own,” Riendeau said. “I really hope she gets along with the grandkids.”
Without her microchip, Lady would certainly have never been reunited with the family that missed her all these years. Let this happy reunion serve as a reminder to chip your own pets!
