In 2013, Gucci, an American pit bull terrier disappeared two weeks before his owners Gary and Ayana Kellys moved from San Antonio, Texas to Norfolk Virginia.
Although the family spent their final weeks in Texas looking for their lost pet, they were not able to find him and were forced to give up.
Ayana recalled they were devastated that they were not able to find the missing pup but eventually left the state to move 1,500 miles across the country.
"We really felt like we left a family member behind. It was a long, depressing feeling, like an empty void you just can't fill," Ayana said.
In early March though, the Kellys received a wonderful surprise. They received a phone call from a San Antonio shelter informing them that their microchipped dog is in the shelter's care.
They were told that Gucci had been living with somebody for a while but he was dropped off at the shelter.
Ayana wanted to personally retrieve Gucci when she learned of the news but because the place is too far, the Kellys opted to hire For The Love of Paws R.I. Rescue and Transport, an animal rescue group to return the dog to them.
Gucci then travelled more than 1,500 miles to finally be reunited with his long lost family making it home on Thursday night.
Wendy Perry, who drove the dog to Virginia warned the family that their pet may no longer be the same dog that disappeared from their yard three years ago. She told the family that their dog may have been abused or used for breeding.
The dog, however, appeared to be the same pet that the family lost. Kelly said that Gucci remains the same gray and white dog when he was returned to them.
It also seemed that the dog did not forget the family either. When he arrived in his new home, he wagged his tail and went around the house just as if he had already been there before.
Gary said that the return of their long lost dog feels like one of their kids has come back home.
