We know animals sense when naturals disasters like earthquakes and hurricanes are about to happen, and many of our pets get scared by these events. We know we have need to keep our pets secured and close to us when such events take place, but many times it is just inevitable and our pets get lost while natural disasters occur.
That was the case for Reckless, a dog that got lost from his New Jersey home back on October, 2012, when Hurricane Sandy took place.
The pet was spooked by the destructive storm and bolted from Charles and Elicia James’s home. He had not been microchipped at the time and the only thing he left behind was his collar with ID tags tangled on the fence he jumped.
Photo Credit: Bill Denver for New York Daily News
The family searched for the dog after the storm, they visited local shelters but came up empty. After being displaced from their home, due to the hurricane’s extensive damage, they were forced to stop searching for their four-legged family member.
Eighteen months later, the James family decided it was time to welcome another dog to their hearts and restored home. Their daughter Alexandra was turning 10 years old and she had been very close with Reckless. Nothing would make her happier than to have a new pet at home.
Charles and Elicia walked into Monmouth County SPCA to adopt their new family member but instead spotted Reckless, the one they had lost 1.5 years ago.
“I told my wife ‘That dog looks like Reckless’ and she said ‘It is Reckless!'” Charles James told NY Daily News. “He started jumping three feet in the air and we started crying.”
Photo Credit: Rusty Rembrandt Studio
The dog had been picked up as a stray last October and brought to the shelter last November. There, he was named Lucas, microchipped, checked by veterinarians, and prepped to find his new forever home. However, shelter volunteers said it “seemed like he was looking for someone.”
“Now we know Lucas (whose real name is Reckless) was searching for his family!” posted Monmouth County SPCA on their Facebook page.
It might have taken 18 months and a weird turn of faith, but now the James family is complete once again.
