WEST PALM BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A South Florida woman has been reunited with her dog, who went missing for nearly a year.
Flipping through an old scrapbook, you can see Sparky is in almost every picture. He’s a small dog with a big personality, and he’s been by Lisa Raulerson’s side for 16 years.
“My husband passed away 11 years ago, and he was with us through all that, so he’s been a big part of our family,” Raulerson said.
Sparky’s gone on family vacations in Georgia and North Carolina.
But last year, a piece of Raulerson went missing after accidentally leaving the gate open outside her West Palm Beach home.
“Before we noticed it, he was gone,” she said. “We looked for a week or two, just straight looking for him.”
Raulerson and her daughter made missing flyers offering a reward, but Sparky was 15, partially deaf, and hope faded after a few weeks.
“We pretty much figured he passed away,” Raulerson said. “It was sad because he was part of us, and we talked about him every day.”
But last week, after 331 days, nearly a year later, Raulerson saw a post on Facebook from a local rescue.
“I didn’t even start scrolling,” she said. “There was a picture of a dog that looked like Sparky.”
Sparky was picked up as a stray.
The rescue pulled him out of the shelter, his hair matted and dirty, but his face spoke to Raulerson, and after nearly 11 months, they were finally reunited.
“I feel like a void in my heart was filled, I really do,” she said. “I never thought I’d see him again, but here he is. I wish he could talk.”
Sparky was going to be euthanized before the rescue group picked him up from the shelter.
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