Incredible Stories of Pets Who Returned Home

Pets are considered members of the family for most households, so whenever they get lost, owners will search for them everywhere – in hopes that they would get back, even with sadness and fear that the worst could have happened to them. And whenever they don’t get found, owners mourn like they lost a real family member.

However, there are unbelievable, heart-warming instances when the lost pet finds their own way back to their owners. Check out these incredible stories of pets who returned home.

1. Moon the Siberian Husky

Siberian Husky

Moon is a one-of-a-kind pup who probably went on a trail in the White River dessert and the Ward Mountain ranges just to get back home. In April 2008, owner Doug Dashiel of Ely, Nevada had taken his three dogs (one of them was Moon) on a weekend trip. On his way back, he stopped at Railroad Valley to rest and let his pets out to stretch and pee, but Moon suddenly ran off. Doug searched for several hours and notified authorities, but failed to find Moon. Thinking he would never find her, he gave up and went home.

Eight days later, Doug received a call from his veterinary clinic that Moon was found in town, which was 77 miles away from where he lost her. Moon somehow managed to travel the distance back to Doug, crossing a high desert and two mountain ranges. She was in good shape but with an awfully stinky smell, making her owner believe that she feasted on rabbits and encountered skunks on her journey.

 

2. Sophie the Cattle Dog

Australian cattle dog Sophie

Australian cattle dog Sophie Tucker was believed to have survived four months in the wild before being reunited with her owners. Dave and Jane Griffiths, Sophie’s owners, were sailing with the dog in late 2008 when a stormy weather hit the waters. While they had to swing the boat around to avoid the high seas, they believed Sophie must have fallen overboard as she went missing after that. They searched for over an hour but because the day had darkened, they had to go home and accept that Sophie was gone forever.

Her owners didn’t know that she survived by swimming five nautical miles in the shark-infested waters to St. Bees Island. Goats, not bees, abound in that island, and it was believed that Sophie preyed on them for food. After four months, she was found by rangers who periodically patrolled the island. They thought Sophie was a wild dog, but they were contacted by Jane after hearing about the found dog. Sophie was returned to the Griffiths home and became a house dog again.

 

3. Skittles the Cat

Skittles the Cat

Skittles, an orange tabby cat, traveled from one state to another to go back to his owner’s home. His owner, the Sampsons family, took him on a vacation in the Wisconsin Dells, which is 350 miles away from their home in Minnesota. While packing up to leave, they could not find Skittles anywhere. After searching and searching with no luck, they were forced to give up and reluctantly returned home. They did not expect to see Skittles again.

Surprisingly, Skittles strolled up to the Sampson’s front door 140 days after he was lost. He was very skinny with his ribs protruding. After his long journey, his owners nursed him well and he was back to his normal feline life quickly.

 

4. Nigel the Parrot

Nigel the Parrot

Nigel had a British accent as he spoke, mainly because he adopted his owner Darren Chick’s speaking style. In 2010, Nigel mysteriously flew away from Darren’s home in California, and he was never found.

However, after four years, Nigel was returned to Darren after someone else from their town found him, brought him to a vet, and discovered through a microchip that Darren is his owner. But Darren was surprised to hear that his parrot has lost his British accent and eventually learned how to speak Spanish. Darren discovered that Nigel was sold to the Smith family in a yard sale, and was taken care of the Smith’s Guatemalan-born grandfather Ruben Hernandez. Ruben considered Nigel the parrot, who they named Morgan, as a friend who helped him cope with the loss of his wife. As Darren was touched with the story of the old man’s special bond with Nigel, he gave his parrot back to Ruben.

 

5. Laser the Beagle

Laser was a three-year-old beagle then when he was adopted by Parry LaPage from Winnipeg, Canada. While the LaPage family vacationed with him on Winnipeg Beach, which was 50 miles away from home, Laser bolted off after being scared by a fireworks display.

The family searched for Laser and put up posters begging people who happened to see him to contact them right away. They received a number of calls from people saying they had spotted Laser, and incredibly, each new call came from someone who lived closer and closer to their residence. It seemed like Laser was traveling his way home in a laser-straight path.

After two weeks, Laser was captured in a schoolyard near LaPage’s home, delivered to a shelter and eventually reunited with his family.