Heartbroken family’s dog was stolen 4 years ago in MO. Then came a phone call
Call it a miracle. Call it fate. Call it the work of technology — call it whatever you want, but one thing you can’t call it is a sad ending.
Thanks to the work of a microchip, a pup in Cape Girardeau was reunited with family after being missing for four years.
“Meet Bandit — a sweet pup who went missing four years ago after being stolen from a consignment shop. His heartbroken family never stopped hoping… and last week, their wish finally came true,” Southeast Missouri Pets said in a July 3 Facebook post.
“Bandit was found as a stray and brought to SEMOPets. Like we do with every animal in our care, we scanned for a microchip — and he had one! One phone call later, his dad was on the road to us, rushing to reunite with his long-lost best friend.”
Microchips are a tiny, permanent identification of your pet that’s implanted under the skin with a needle. When a pet goes missing and is brought into a shelter or veterinary clinic, staff can scan for a microchip and track down the owner.
“With the 4th of July just around the corner — a time when more pets go missing than any other day of the year — let Bandit’s story be a reminder: microchipping matters,” the shelter said.
Cape Girardeau is about a 115-mile drive southeast from St. Louis.
This story was originally published July 3, 2025 at 4:04 PM with the headline "Heartbroken family’s dog was stolen 4 years ago in MO. Then came a phone call."