Man's Childhood Dog Miraculously Found Safe and Sound 4 Years After Going Missing
It seemed like something that would never happen. Benjamin Baxter of Fremont, Nebraska lost his dog Patches years ago and thought that his beloved childhood dog was gone for good. Four years later, Baxter was stunned to learn that Patches was alive in a lost and found ad. Now Baxter is sharing the incredible story of how he got his precious dog back.
Baxter last saw Patches nearly four years ago.
He first brought Patches home 10 years ago when she was only six weeks old, KENS 5 reports. Their bond was immediate.
"I would be hunting, rock climbing, or whatever, and she'd be right there," Baxter recalled. "And she was the only dog I've ever been around that actually loved rock climbing. But she'd always have this big, goofy grin on her face the whole time."
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In 2020 Baxter had to make a tough decision. He was moving to Nebraska and his new place didn't allow pets. So he left Patches with a family friend in Calhan, Colorado.
"She decided that she would take Patches from me until I could find another place where I could have a dog with me," he explained.
But the plan went askew in April 2020 when Patches escaped her kennel and seemed to vanish into thin air. It became quickly apparent that finding the lost pup would be impossible.
"By day seven, I started realizing that we weren't going to find this dog and I was devastated,” he lamented.
For years Baxter thought he'd never be reunited with his pet. Until his wife Elizabeth got a call on January 31, 2023 from his mom with a surprising update.
"She'd been getting missed calls from an area code in New Mexico saying that they had Patches, and she's like is this a scam, is this not? I don't know," his wife recalled.
But it wasn't a truck. Patches really had been found in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
"They had put a lost or found ad up for her,” Baxter said. “And I'm looking at this picture and I'm just like there's no way, right? The best way to describe that day was just utter disbelief," he recalled.
It took the work of multiple shelters to get Patches back to Baxter's family friend in Colorado. Once there, Baxter will finally see his long lost best friend.
"We've got lots of time to make up for," he added. "And I just want to give her a place where she can be at peace and be at rest in these last couple of years that we're going to get together."
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