Buddy, an adorable little Yorkie, is back home with his family in Planada, California 2 years after he went missing from their home. Â Buddy was stolen when he was 6 months old, his heartbroken family searching and searching for him to no avail. Â Then last week they got a call from animal control officials in Reno, Nevada 250 miles from home saying Buddy had been found.
The little pup loved his family and was the centre of attention.  “Before you know it, he was gone and he would never just run away. So we knew something was up,” said his owner Britany Sapien. “We looked everywhere.”  Sapien’s boyfriend Lupe Diaz had given her Buddy as a gift just 6 months earlier.  Since then she has looked twice every time she sees a Yorkie anywhere.
How did Buddy end up in Reno, so far from home?  It is speculated that Buddy was stolen and then sold to someone in Reno.  When he was picked up by animal control they scanned him and discovered he had a microchip that led them back to Britany in California. Britany Sapien described the call, “Is this Britany Sapien, we have your dog Buddy and I’m like huh? Buddy?”
The following weekend the family headed to Reno to pick up their long lost friend.  “He got excited, he remembered us,” said Diaz. “He started shaking and panting.”  This event has restored the family’s faith in the microchip and they are grateful to have Buddy back home.  “To actually have him in our arms again,” said Britany’s mom Martha Mayo-Garza. “It was just wow, this is great. We found him and he’s here and we’re actually all together again.” She added,  “Again don’t give up hope and its changed my belief in the chip. It’s very important to do that.”
