JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A family from North Carolina received a heartwarming Christmas gift on Friday after two years of waiting.
Nicholas Dawson and his children reunited with his dog Isis — a 6-year-old American Staffordshire terrier — in Jacksonville after she disappeared from her Fayetteville home back in March 2020.
“He searched all over, posted signs and alerted neighbors, but Isis could not be found,” a news release said.
At 10 p.m. Tuesday, a miracle happened. A woman said she was waiting for a train at the Tri-Rail Station near Outdoor World in Dania Beach, Florida, when a friendly dog walked right up to her. It was Isis.
Luckily, Isis had been microchipped. The chip was scanned at the Humane Society of Broward County, and staff learned that Isis was over 725 miles from her home.
The staff called Dawson, and he could barely hold back the tears of joy. He and his children, ages 10 and 13, packed up the car and drove from North Carolina to meet the family who found Isis on Friday.
“I never thought I’d see her again, so you know, they called me the other day, I was at work, and it kind of like took my breath away,” Dawson said. “I was, like, ‘Really?’”
No one is sure how Isis made it to South Florida. The only thing that matters now is that Isis is safe and she’s going home for the holidays.
“I’m happy to have her back and just want to give her, you know, a good life. I’m not sure what she was going through down here, but I know we’ve got big plans for her back in North Carolina,” Dawson said.
News4JAX wishes both families a Merry Christmas and a safe drive back home.