Choco in 2016, shortly after Patricia Orozco adopted him from her local shelter in Sacramento. Photo / Patricia Orozco
Nearly five years after her rescue dog disappeared, Patricia Orozco still thought about Choco every day.
“I still talked about him all the time,” she said. “I wondered what he’s doing; I wondered how he is ...
“When you have a pet disappear, everything races through your mind ... Is he alive? Is he okay? Is he being treated well?”
Then, unexpectedly, Orozco, who lives in Sacramento, California, received a text from a microchip company.
Choco had been found – 3700km away in Lincoln, Michigan.
“I never thought in a million years this would happen,” Orozco, 29, who adopted Choco, a wirehaired Dachshund mix, from her local shelter in 2016, said.
Choco was found tied to a fence outside Lincoln Park Animal Shelter in late November.
Orozco quickly contacted shelter staff and provided photos and identification to confirm she was his owner.
At first, she assumed Choco was found in Lincoln, California, about 50km from Sacramento.
It wasn’t until the end of the call that she realised he had somehow ended up across the United States.
“At that point, I just felt like my heart dropped on the floor,” Orozco said.
With two young children, including a 4-month-old, Orozco worried about how she would bring Choco home.
She posted on Facebook asking for advice. Cindy Walden – a former animal control officer and board member of Helping Paws and Claws non-profit in Loomis, California – saw the post.
“We reached out to her and said that we would help her get her dog home,” Walden said.
Walden checked an airfare and it was quite costly.
She put a call-out on social media asking for donations.
Choco weighs about 7kg and would be able to spend the flight in a carrier under someone’s seat.
Penny Scott, a volunteer humane dog trapper in Sacramento, got in touch with Walden, as her son works at an airline and would be able to get her a standby ticket.
She was hoping to give the ticket to Orozco, but when she learned she has two young children, she realised someone else might have to transport the pet.
“Suddenly, I said, ‘well maybe I could go’,” Scott said.
Another community member donated airline miles, covering the full cost of the trip without Scott having to go on standby.
On December 2, Scott flew from Sacramento to a layover in Denver, then to Detroit to pick up Choco, who was brought to the airport by a volunteer.
She then flew with him to Chicago, but a delayed flight caused them to miss their connection to Sacramento. Scott and Choco spent nearly 14 hours at Chicago O’Hare International Airport.
“This dog was amazing; never whimpered, never growled at anybody,” Scott said. “I walked him through the airport on a leash the whole time.”
Orozco described Choco as a sweet, calm dog. But he also had a mischievous streak – he loved running and exploring.
“He was a sneaky door dasher,” Orozco said, adding that Choco got out a few times but would always come home. “He was basically like Forrest Gump, but the dog version.”
Orozco’s neighbours knew about Choco’s tendency to escape and Orozco had reinforced the fencing around her home.
Still, in May 2021, Choco slipped out – and he didn’t return. Orozco put up posters around the neighbourhood and contacted local shelters.
“I was extremely worried,” she said. “To this day, I don’t know how he got out.”
Months passed with no sightings and Orozco assumed he was gone for good.
“It was grief for me,” she said. “Since then, I have not had a dog.”
She never imagined Choco, now 11, would come back into her life.
“This is seriously a Christmas miracle,” she said.
No one knows how Choco travelled from California to Michigan, or whether he lived with anyone in the meantime.
Orozco said she couldn’t believe how far he got – and she felt sorry for him, knowing he dislikes cold weather.
“This is a California sun-loving dog,” she said. “He hates the cold.”
On December 3, Scott and Choco arrived in Sacramento. Walden picked them up at the airport and drove them to Orozco’s house – the same one he used to live in - for the reunion.
“As soon as we got out of the car, I set him down and he went right to her; he wanted to go home,” Scott said.
“It took a village, but it all just came together,” Walden added, emphasising the importance of microchipping pets.
Walden inspected the yard at Orozco’s home to ensure it was secure enough that Choco wouldn’t get out again. Orozco installed a double gate for extra protection.
Even knowing Choco was coming, Orozco couldn’t believe her eyes when he appeared.
“I was like, ‘Can someone pinch me?’” she said. “I’m still in shock.”
Choco has slowed down with age, but Orozco said his personality remains unchanged.
“He’s still the same, most loving, cuddly, always wants to be on-top-of-you dog,” she said.
Orozco said she is amazed at how the rescue community rallied to reunite them.
“I’m just extremely grateful,” she said. “Words can’t describe it.”
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