“She was gone 5 years and located 600 miles away when animal control picked her up as she strolled through a neighborhood”
Their dog had been stolen from their porch five years prior, so they never expected her return. So, when animal control called and said they found her 600 miles away, they could hardly believe their ears.
Five years ago, a security camera captured the image of a white truck pulling up to the curb in front of Stephanie Moore Malmstrom’s home in Baytown Texas. The passenger gets out of the truck and is seen calling the family’s German shepherd, Sheba, over to him.
Sheba had been sitting on the porch and was friendly, so she went up to the stranger. But that man wasn’t worth her trust because he is then seen picking her up and putting her in the truck, then the truck drives away.
“The video shows the passenger exiting the vehicle, walking behind the truck and calling for the dog who was laying under the owner’s porch,” Chambers County Crime Stoppers said. “The passenger then lifts the dog, putting her in either the cab or bed, then the vehicle drives away.”
The Malmstroms were at their neighbor’s house when the dog theft happened. They did their best to find their lost dog but were never able to. Images of Sheba and the truck were distributed, the police were called, and there was a reward offered for her return, but no one ever came forward.
“She’s such a loving animal,” Malmstrom told the outlet at the time. “She went right to him, thinking she was going to go for a ride. And she hasn’t been back.”
Then, five years later, everything changed. The Malmstrom’s phone rang and on the other end was an animal control officer from Borger, Texas. The officer said he had scanned the microchip of a Sheba, who was found walking in a neighborhood that is located 600 miles from where she was stolen.
“My initial thought was, ok, ya right, let me guess, I won a cruise and a million dollars also,” she wrote on Facebook. But the officer went on to tell her Sheba had been found walking in a neighborhood.”
No one knows how Sheba ended up in Borger. But her family is thrilled to be getting her back. The reunion just happens to coincide with Stephanie’s birthday, which is the best birthday gift ever. Pilots N Paws will soon be flying Sheba home, all thanks to her microchip.
Sheba’s story is proof that microchips work if pet owners keep their contact information up to date. Without Sheba’s chip, there would have been no way to know who she was or that she was a stolen pet.
Thankfully, she’ll be reunited with her family soon. We can’t imagine how happy they are to be getting her back after all this time. We hope that you enjoyed her story. As always, please feel free to share with your friends.