Catherine Herzog from Grand Forks, North Dakota, has had her beloved Charlie since he was a wee pup she could carry in one hand. He was quite a frail dog, but she and her family loved him all the same.
So one can only imagine how distressed Catherine was when Charlie suddenly went missing in the winter of 2016. How could such a small pooch survive the cold?
Catherine asked for assistance from the police in looking for the white pooch. She also visited local animal shelters and veterinary clinics to see if Charlie had turned up there.
However, when months and then years passed without news, the fur mom assumed the worst. Charlie had either died of exposure or from being run over by a snowplow or some other vehicle.
As it turned out, Charlie was more than a hundred miles away in the town of Morris in Manitoba, Canada. Nobody knew how he got there, and the residents of Morris themselves wondered where the dog whose tongue hung out one side of his mouth came from.
A woman named Angie Prince-Smoke, who manages a Facebook group for Morris residents, reports seeing a ton of posts about the white pooch over the past couple of years. More people asked about Charlie in the winter as they were concerned for his safety.
A few of them had tried to lure and catch Charlie previously, but none succeeded. The canine would eat the food they tossed him, but he would turn tail as soon as the would-be rescuers approached.
Finally, animal control services got involved and set up a coyote trap for Charlie. Following his capture, the pooch stayed at 7 Acre Wood Animal Boarding Kennel.
Fortunately, Charlie had identification tags on his collar. The facility immediately contacted Catherine and sent her a photo. The fur mom recognized the canine right away, thanks to his lolling tongue.
Catherine, who could not wait one minute more, rushed to Morris. Charlie was just as ecstatic to see his fur mom again, kissing her with all the pent-up emotions of the last two and a half years.
The fur mom is astonished at how the delicate dog lived through two harsh winters, but she's thankful for the kindness of the Morris residents. Charlie is probably back in North Dakota now, enjoying a pampered life once more.
Source: Town of Morris on Facebook and 7 Acre Wood Animal Boarding Kennel on Facebook