Getting a pet is not just about companionship and fun – it is also a responsibility. This is why you have to go through a house inspection and some tests if you rescue one from an animal shelter. They have to make sure that you will be able to provide a happy home for their rescues.
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This couple adopted their very first dog and loved him as if he was their very first baby. Unfortunately, they were only able to enjoy his companionship for two years. A sad incident caused them to be separated. The miraculous thing is that they were able to find him again after 7 long years.
Adopting their first pet
In 2008, Kelly and Donovan Accettola decided to adopt their very first dog. The couple chose an Italian Greyhound to bring home and named him Bemis, after Max Bemis, one of their favorite singers. But what could have been a happy animal rescue story turned out wrong since Bemis was taken right away from them.
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Donovan met Kelley while they were working for the US Navy. Kelly was working as a combat medic while Donovan was working as a nuclear engineer. The two immediately fell in love but like any other military career, they were forced to spend time away from each other a lot.
It was the right time
So when one is deployed, the other left at home ends up missing the other a lot. The loneliness can get unbearable sometimes but they knew they could not do something about it. Both were having impressive careers in the military and had no plans of quitting. So, they decided to adopt a dog to keep each other company.
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The Accettola couple was very excited when they finally agreed that it was the right time to get their first pet. They felt nervous about picking out their first dog since they felt a mix of emotions. Could they really handle the responsibility? But when they met the Italian Greyhound, they instantly knew they could not walk away from him.
The center of love and attention
Kelly and Donovan did not waste any time. They immediately adopted the Italian Greyhound right then and there. The two were very pleased with their choice and felt positive about it. Bemis immediately became like a first child for them.
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Most couples who get a pet together treat it as practice for being responsible and caring for another being. And Bemis became the couple’s, first baby. Bemis became the center of love and attention in the Accettola home for the next two years. The couple no longer felt lonely when one of them had to be assigned somewhere else for work.
Time to move again
Then, the time came for them to transfer as part of their job. The Accettolas had to move from New York to Virginia. Kelly did not mind moving. She now has Bemis to keep her company anyway. She no longer feels lonely when Donovan has to be deployed far away for days because of his job.
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Bemis has become great emotional support whenever Kelly felt lonely. Staying home has now become a treat because she had Bermis around. Bemis had added a lot of positive vibes for the couple and he was truly a wonderful addition to the family.
The incident
One random morning, Kelly let Bemis out to play and run around in the backyard as she usually does. That morning though, she needed to use the bathroom so she had to leave him alone for a few minutes. Since this was their usual routine, she knew Bemis would be fine by himself.
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Usually, Bemis could not stand to stay away from Kelly for too long. He would always come back and scratch at the door so that he could be let in. But that particular morning, there was no scratching in the door.
The gate was open
Kelly found it odd that Bemis was not eager to be let in the house that morning. When she went outside to check on him, she was surprised to find that Bemis was out of sight. She called out his name but Bemis did not come running. Kelly instantly felt worried and looked around. She was shocked to discover that their back gate was open.
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Kelly felt a rush of emotions upon discovering the open gate. There was panic thinking of her poor Bemis getting lost in the streets. There was also guilt knowing that this had happened under her watch. Kelly runs all around their neighborhood to look for Bemis. They were in a new place and Bemis was not yet familiar with his new surroundings. He could easily get lost.
A pet lover’s worst nightmare
Any pet lover would understand the frustration Kelly felt knowing that her dog has gone missing. And this was a dog that she had loved and spoiled so much. Bemis was more than just a companion and comforter for Kelly. Bemis was like her own baby and she could not believe that he was suddenly gone without a trace.
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Kelly immediately called Donovan, who was deployed at the time. She can’t believe she lost Bemis and was horrified at the thought of losing their beloved dog. Donovan tried to calm her down and the two thought of ways to look for Bemis. They decided that Kelly will have to go through the whole neighborhood and knock on doors to see if anyone has seen Bemis.
Losing time
Kelly knocked on doors and asked if she could check their backyards, sheds, and garages to look for Bemis. Unfortunately, all her efforts were in vain. Nobody in the neighborhood has seen her dog. Kelly even went to visit the local shelters too in case somebody surrendered Bemis there. But Bemis was not there.
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Time passed and Kelly always visited the local shelters to check if Bemis was there. Then the worse had to happen. They had to move again. This time, they were being deployed to California. Although moving around was not new to the couple, this news broke their hearts. It meant they had to give up on finding Bemis again.
Losing hope
The two desperately searched every corner of their neighborhood once more. They even went to the next neighborhoods in a desperate attempt to look for Bemis before they left town. But their efforts were still met with disappointment. Donovan and Kelly had no choice but to leave town with a broken heart.
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Then, one day, a miracle happened in 2017. After 7 years of losing Bemis, Kelly received a letter. It was about Bemis! Kelly could not believe that she is hearing about her long-lost pet after all these years. The letter came from a microchip company that specializes in locating the owners of lost pets. But why did it 7 years for them to reach out?
Challenges in finding the owner
It was not actually the company’s fault – the information in the microchip was outdated. Kelly’s job required her to move around and change numbers often so it was difficult to find her. All these factors resulted in the need to do investigative work.
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The microchip company was all about precision. They needed to make sure they were reuniting Bemis with the right owner. They understood how much pets mean to their owners. It was a job that could not be rushed.
Bemis gets picked up
But who found Bemis and where was he the whole time? A woman named Tracy Tucker found Bemis walking by himself in Gastonia, North Carolina, in 2016. Tracy was driving on her way home from work when she spotted a tiny dog on the road looking very lost and lonely.
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Tracy pulled over on the side of the road and opened the car door for the dog. She planned to take the dog home because the streets were no place for a tiny dog like it. The little dog did not hesitate to jump in the car. It seemed relieved to be found.
Looking for a microchip
Tracy took note of how trusting the dog was – it may have been someone else’s pet. The first thing she did was to bring him to an animal hospital to have it checked. Tracy brought Bemis to the Wilkinson Animal Hospital to see if the dog has a microchip.
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Luckily enough, Bemis was microchipped. However, the microchip information was outdated. The address and phone number indicated were not Kelly’s current address and number. It would be difficult to track down its owner. But the people in the hospital were able to pull some strings through their connections.
A GoFundMe page for Bermis
The animal hospital searched hard for the current whereabouts of Kelly. They reached out to the American Kennel Club Reunite for help. The organization was able to track down the phone number for Kelly’s mother-in-law. It was the closest they could get to Kelly.
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As soon as Kelly’s mother-in-law heard the news, she was overjoyed. She immediately called Kelly. However, it would take money to fly out Bemis all the way to California where Kelly and Donovan were. Kelly set up a GoFundMe page titled “Bring Bemis Home” so that she could get financial assistance for the animal hospital and flight charges.
Kelly flies to North Carolina
As soon as Kelly had the location of her long-lost dog, she did not wait long to book a ticket to North Carolina. She could not believe that Bemis had been spotted there and that after all these years, they get to be reunited. It was impossible but it was true. That day, she could not stop smiling.
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Kelly flew to North Carolina so that she could see Bemis right away and that she can personally thank Tracy. Kelly never forgot Bemis after all these years and still worried about what could have happened to her beloved dog. She had to thank Tracy for picking Bemis and putting a stop to all her worries.
The reunion
Bemis was still in the vet’s office when Kelly arrived. She was sitting in the waiting area and everyone watched in awe as Bemis came running straight towards her the moment the door opened. The dog was happy to see his owner once more.
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Bemis could not stop wagging his tail as he jumped into Kelly’s open arms. Kelly was clearly overjoyed when she finally had Bemis in her arms again. She was tearing up and there were just no words to describe the overwhelming happiness she felt during their reunion.
A miracle
Kelly updated her GoFundMe page with pictures of her reunion with Bemis. She says she has heard stories of people being reunited with their missing pets even after being apart for years. She never thought that it would happen to her.
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Kelly continued to say that she would be forever indebted to Tracy because she was the reason Bemis was able to come back home. She considered Tracy as a guardian angel. Finding a lost dog after seven years was indeed a miracle to celebrate.
An emotional reunion
Imagine losing a pet that you treated as your own baby, spending years of searching for him before giving up just to be reunited again a couple more years later. Kelly can’t help but cry happy tears as she held Bemis for the first time in years.
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The feelings Kelly felt were so intense that she could not bring herself to speak for a while. It did not take long for everyone in the room to become emotional as well. The joy exuding from Kelly and Bemis was just infectious.
A bond that could not be forgotten
Kelly could not believe that Bemis looked exactly the same as he did years ago. The vet told Kelly that Bemis did not have any complications. He was a healthy dog. How he managed to still be in good health after being lost for years was a mystery.
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Kelly shared how she and Bemis used to be inseparable. She had a special closeness to her pet since Donovan was the one who often had to be deployed somewhere far away. Bemis became Kelly’s constant companion and emotional support for so many years. She felt joy that he would be coming home with her once again.
A lesson learned
Kelly could not stop thanking Tracy, who was instrumental in this reunion. Tracy went out of her way to have Bemis checked and returned to his rightful owner. Imagine if she did not bother to stop her car and pick up Bemis. The reunion probably would not happen at all.
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The Accettolas definitely learned their lesson by now. Kelly swore she will never let Bemis out of her sight again. And she definitely will update the microchip info every time they had to move and change numbers. Had their contact info been updated, the reunion would have been done right away.
The importance of microchips
This story proves how important it is to get your pets microchipped in case they get lost. It is also a good reminder that we need to make sure that the microchip contact info is up to date. This is one way to be reunited instantly with your pets when you lose them.
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No matter how much we love and spoil our pets, we never know what can happen in the future. Pets are easily distracted and can get lost in new surroundings. We hope this incredible story of Kelly and Bemis reuniting becomes a lesson for other pet owners as well.