Call him the comeback canine.
A Florida family’s cherished dog has been found after vanishing for nearly two months — turning up more than 1,000 miles away on Long Island.
The Josey family was finally reunited with Apollo, their 13-year-old Shih Tzu, after the missing pup was located at a New York animal shelter under a different name.
Apollo went missing in April after slipping through a gate at the family’s home. A passing driver later spotted him along the roadside and picked him up after being unable to find his owner, the family told Fox 35 Orlando.
Even as the weeks stretched on, the Joseys said they never gave up hope that Apollo would make his way back. They continued buying food and toys in anticipation of his return.
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“I had no doubt that he’d make it back home. It’s just mind-blowing that he’s all the way in New York!” stunned dog dad Nicholas Josey told WKMG.
The family still does not know exactly how Apollo ended up in New York, but they said the mystery began to unravel when a Long Island animal shelter reached out.
Shelter workers contacted the Joseys after scanning the dog’s microchip, which confirmed he was Apollo — despite the fact that he had been wearing a tag that read “Yuri.”
“She goes, ‘Well, the dog came in and has a name tag called Yuri.’ And I said, ‘His name’s not Yuri. His name is Apollo Franklin Josey,’” Vera Josey told the outlet.
The prodigal pup is now back with his family in Ocala, who couldn’t be more excited to have him back and introduce him to a new member of the family — a newborn son who was born while he was missing.
“I can’t wait for him to meet his baby brother,” Vera Josey told WKMG.
