BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Niagara SPCA announced a dog that was missing for four years and found in Western New York has been reunited with its owner in Florida.
7 News brought you Chacka's story on March 22. The SPCA announced it was able to contact his owner who lives in Florida thanks to his microchip and it was working to get him back home.
It has been four long years for Devonna Bolden and her family, without their beloved dog, Chacka.
"It was so overwhelming. I'm so glad he's home," Bolden told Kassahun over Zoom, Monday afternoon.
The two were able to reunite at an airport in St. Petersburg, Monday around 2 a.m., after multiple flight delays.
"It was like a dream. It really did not even seem real. I saw him and I didn't know if he was going to remember me, and I was so scared and then he looked at me instantly and his little tail started wagging, and he started kissing and I knew that he knew exactly who I was. I didn't know that we were ever going to be able to have this day. I am so thankful and blessed that everybody at the SPCA for what they did to reunite us with our family," Bolden said.
She shared that she lost hope after so much time had passed for him to be found.
"We did Facebook posts, we called the local SPCA here, we called pounds, we went to gas stations and put posters up. My daughter started this huge campaign to try and find him. She was reaching out to all of friends. She was posting every single day and it was just silent," Bolden said.
When she received an email about Chacka being found, she was in disbelief.
"I looked at the email and it said 'Congratulations, we have found Chacka. It was like the world stopped for a moment. I could not believe what I was reading. I just looked at my boyfriend and was like, 'Oh my gosh, they have him! They have him!' And he was like, 'Who, who?' I was like, 'Him, him! They have Chacka," she explained.
Bolden explained he has been getting acclimated with her other two dogs who are much larger in size, than this 5-pound Chihuahua.
"We played ball. He's just been all over the place and he acts like this house is his. He doesn't miss a beat. He's growling at the other dogs. He's strutting around here like he owns the place," Bolden shared with a big smile on her face.
The pup went missing at four years old. Now at 8-years-old, having lived half of his life away from home, she explained that Chacka came back with the same personality.
It is something that brings her peace as the his journey the last four years are still unknown.
"It doesn't look like he was mistreated, it doesn't look like he is scared of people. He's not scared of dogs. Whoever it was, as bad as the situation is, I'm just thankful that they were good to him. I did not know what kind of dog I was going to get back," she added.
On Monday, the SPCA posted a video of Chacka's reunion with his owner. The post said they were reunited around 1:30 a.m. on Monday and it only took Shaka a few seconds to remember his owner "and then it was all tail wags and kisses from there."
NOTE: It was originally reported the Chihuahua's name was spelled "Shaka", according to the Niagara SPCA, but according to his owner, Devonna Bolden, his name is spelled "Chacka". It was also learned afterward that he had been missing for four years, and not three, according to Bolden.
