CAPE CORAL, Florida – A special reunion brought tears to a family after being reunited with their lost beagle five years after escaping.
In 2016 Jackie Hollaway and her family lived with the 7-year-old dog “Tex” in Cape Coral. Hollaway calls Tex a “runner” and said the dog escaped a family gate, which resulted in years of searching.
“Laminated flyers in the neighborhood, driving around, scouring Facebook every day looking for posts about a dog,” Hollaway said.
Hollaway said the dog had been microchipped and Lee County Domestic Animal Services was notified that it was lost. Weeks became a year. One year turned into five years with no evidence of tex.
“I never thought that we would ever see him again. It was too long ago, “said Hollaway.
The family moved three hours from Cape Coral to Winter Garden, Florida, but they updated their address with LCDAS just in case Tex showed up. On Friday, the family received a call they had been waiting for half a decade.
“Of course we cried. We probably cried for two days, ”said Hollaway.
Tex was found free running and taken to LCDAS in Fort Myers. Hollaway ran into the area and stayed with a friend in Cape Coral so she could be at the shelter when they opened the next day.
Tex and Hollaway were reunited. Tex was now 12 years old but appeared to be in good health.
“He definitely seems to have been with someone,” said Hollaway.
Hollaway said Tex is home with her family in Winter Garden, but she can’t help but be frustrated with how long they have been forced to live without Tex.
“You should have taken him somewhere to see if he had a chip,” said Hollaway. “When you find a dog, take it to make sure it’s not someone else’s because we’ve been devastated for years.”