Busiest day for missing pets ends with heart warming reunion

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) –  Today is one of the busiest days for New Hanover Animal Services. They say a higher volume of calls come in for pets missing after 4th of July celebrations. While we were covering that story, however, a tearful reunion took place at Animal Services.

“She is our family, I can’t sleep or anything without her,” said Stacie George whose dog, Sierra, went missing around the first week of June.

Like many pets, a summer storm spooked Sierra and the Georges lost her. She was found just a few miles from her Castle Hayne home along Kerr Avenue. After she was found, another Cierra and her boyfriend AJ took the dog in. After cleaning her up, they knew they had to try to find her family.

“We wanted to find her a home if anything,” said Cierra.

The Georges put flyers up and Stacie made weekly visits to the shelter hoping, but leaving without her dog that she has loved for 15 years.

“It was dreadful, it was like looking for a family member,” George said.

So many stories like theirs do not end with this happy ending..

“This was very rare and I think as you can tell, how moved we all were,” said Animal Services Deputy Stephen Watson. “It was a precious moment.”

A moment marked with tears of joy. Animal services sees the most missing pet cases in the summer with the 5th of July being the busiest day of the year for lost pet calls.

“Our front desk reports probably 15 to 20 missing pet calls,” the Deputy said.

A call volume increasing by 60% in the days surrounding the Independence Day holiday. Deputy Watson says roughly one in four of the cases end in reunions.

On a day where so many calls come in with worry and uncertainty, the Georges are a symbol that what is lost can be found.