Grieving Man Finds Stolen Dog 18 Months Later, Amazing Story Goes Viral

Richard Brower had been grieving the loss of his German Shepherd and “best buddy” Dozer for 18 months. Once he’d finally decided to move forward after accepting the devastating loss, he began his search for a new animal companion. He reportedly began his search by visiting the Claresholm Rescue Society’s website. However, what he discovered was quite astounding, because the picture of the first dog immediately caught his attention. As a matter of fact, the shocking discovery had him “shaking,” reports CBC News.

“It was the first post that came up, and Dozer was just staring me back in the face, looking pretty much like he did 18 months before,” Brower said in a radio interview. “And my heart just kind of sank, and I started shaking.”

During a radio interview, Brower shared details about the series of events that followed. He immediately contacted the rescue society for more information about Dozer in order to get him back. He revealed his father was the first close relative to come in contact with Dozer again.

“I called Claresholm right away, and as I was telling her what Dozer looked like, my mom called my father who was just leaving [the town of] Picture Butte out by Lethbridge on his way past, so he stopped in. He walked in, and as soon as Dozer saw him, he started going nuts, and wagging his tail and we knew immediately, and he was brought back to me that night.”

However, he still wanted to be sure it was Dozer, so he had his father try a couple tricks the dog should be familiar with, reports the Blaze.

“One of the first things I taught [Dozer] was to snap my fingers, and then he’ll come around to my right side and wait for his second command,” he said. “So I asked dad to go in the cage. The lady was there, and I didn’t say what he would do, I just said, ‘Snap your fingers.'”

The heartwarming twist of fate comes 18 months after the devastating day when Brower discovered that his dog had been stolen. He shared details about the bleak moment that is now just a distant memory. Apparently, someone lifted the gate hinge at his home and took the dog. Unfortunately, when he returned home that day Dozer was gone. He explained how he was sure his dog was stolen because he has locks on the front and back sides of the gate.

However, that disheartening memory has been replaced with a joyous reunion. The moment they were finally reunited is definitely one to remember! He recounted the heartfelt reunion and the dog’s reaction to seeing him again for the first time in 18 months.

“It was just amazing when he got home. As soon as he got on the block, dad said his tail started wagging, and as soon as he pulled into the driveway I opened the door and he just flew right in and buried his head in my armpit and just started whining like a baby.”

[Image via CBC News, Richard Dozer]