Dog Gone: Pet Reunited with Family After 5 Years

Sounding more like the premise of a Hollywood movie, a Georgia man and his dog have been reunited after five years and many miles of wandering.

Lily, a 6-year-old boxer, went missing around 5 years ago from Mark Finster’s backyard in Rome, Ga., and despite exhaustive searching she never turned up.

That was until Saturday, May 3, when Finster received a call from Braselton, Ga., some 80 miles away as the crow flies across north Georgia.

Underweight and infested by fleas and ticks, Lily was dropped off at Best Friend Veterinary Hospital, which quickly uncovered the mystery.

“A wonderful couple found her and brought her to us to scan for a microchip,” the hospital posted, along with a video of the reunion, on its Facebook page. “Luckily, she had one.”

Without the chip, which included the name and contact info for the owner, there wouldn't have been a reunion.

“Our receptionist called the phone numbers listed as her owners and get this … she has been missing for 5 years!" an earlier Facebook post said. "They have been searching for her since the day she went missing. The owner was in tears.”

WSB-TV picked up the story Monday, reporting that Finster had just graduated from Shorter College and was getting ready for a celebration cookout on Saturday, May 3, when he received word.

Lily immediately knew Finster when the two reunited, and the owner said she was feeling at home right away back in Rome.

“We wish she could just tell is where she was,” Finster told the TV station.