A dog that vanished from North Texas two years ago turned up on the streets of a New Jersey town more than 1,500 miles away.
Police in Clark, New Jersey, said an officer picked up the stray on March 4 after a resident spotted it roaming. The officer scanned for a microchip at headquarters and traced it to the owners in Glenn Heights, Texas.
Gloria Greer said she was shocked to receive the call from the Clark police about her dog, Koko. The pet had disappeared from North Texas two years earlier. Greer’s family made arrangements to fly to New Jersey right away and picked up Koko on Saturday. Clark officers and staff kept the dog at headquarters until then.
During the three days that Koko waited for her owner to arrive, police personnel cared for the dog, bathing her, providing treats, blankets, and toys, and taking her for walks.
“As a dog lover amongst many other dog lovers, we were not going to make that puppy wait in a shelter or pound. I want to commend all the officers and staff who went above and beyond to care for this dog while still performing their duties. Koko was living her best life inside the dispatch room for the last 3 days, and hopefully, it will get even better being reunited with her family again,” Police Director Patrick Grady said.
The department said Koko ran straight to Greer upon reunion.
A GoFundMe page was created to help the Greer family cover the cost of airfare to New Jersey. As of Wednesday morning, $1,785 of the $3,000 fundraining goal had been donated.
Greer posted thanks on social media to the Clark police and others who helped.
“We are happy to have her back. Thanks to everyone that made this day possible again. I can’t thank you enough. Much love to you all,” she said, Fox 4 KDFW reported.
Questions linger about how Koko ended up halfway across the country. She is now back home safely with her family in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
