An Oklahoma woman on Sunday was reunited with her dog more than 1,000 miles away at a Greensboro animal shelter.
According to Guilford County Animal Services, staff members found Rio, a 10-year-old border collie, as a stray and took him into their care. When they scanned Rio for a microchip, they found his owner, who lived in Oklahoma.
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The dog's owner, Melissa, told the shelter that Rio had gone missing at the end of July.
"She’d been checking everywhere for him and said he’s an elaborate escape artist who tends to bolt when he gets scared," the shelter wrote on Facebook, along with a video of the reunion.
The shelter said it wasn't sure how Rio got to North Carolina, but speculated that someone found him along the way and never had him scanned for a microchip before he got loose again.
The shelter said Melissa wasted no time and booked the first flight out of Oklahoma to Greensboro and reunited with Rio after two weeks of searching. The shelter used the reunion to remind pet owners about the importance of mircochipping their pets.
"A collar can come off. A pet can travel much farther than you ever expect. But a microchip gives shelters and animal control a way to connect a lost pet back to their family," the shelter said. "We’re so happy this story ended with Rio back where he belongs"