A 13-year-old Shih Tzu named Apollo has been reunited with his Florida family after a two-month disappearance that ended more than a thousand miles away on Long Island, New York.
Apollo went missing in April when he slipped through a gate at his Ocala, Florida, home. His owners, the Josey family, had put out food and toys for his expected return, never losing hope he would be found.
The family was eventually contacted by a pet shelter on Long Island after staff scanned Apollo's microchip. He was found with a tag bearing the name "Yuri," but his owners confirmed his identity as Apollo Franklin Josey.
"She goes, ‘Well, the dog came in and has a name tag called Yuri.’ And I said, ‘His name’s not Yuri. His name is Apollo Franklin Josey,’” Vera Josey told WKMG.
While the specifics of Apollo's journey to New York remain unclear, the family is overjoyed to have him back. They are looking forward to introducing him to a new member of the family, a baby son who was born while Apollo was missing.
"I can’t wait for him to meet his baby brother," Vera Josey told WKMG.