The Smith family was residing in Little Rock, Arkansas, with their two pit bulls when the dogs went missing in July 2020. In the wake of Jack and Jill’s disappearance, the family tried to find their pet dogs but to no avail, USA TODAY reported. Their dogs’ disappearance is said to have also affected their then-5-year-old daughter as she had established a unique bond with them.
But though the family ultimately relocated to McKinney, Texas, they were still contacted by shelters or sent pictures of dogs to verify if they were their missing pets.
The Smiths eventually got a breakthrough after three years as one of their missing pet dog’s microchip helped them finally reunite with her. The family said they did not expect Jill to be located and returned to them with the help of the microchip – though they were aware of such occurrences.
The Smiths reunited with Jill after the Little Rock Animal Village contacted Rex Smith in July to let him know their missing dog had been found. Britnee Smith also said she worried Jill may have forgotten about them or had become hostile as they made their way to get her. It, however, turned out that she had not changed.
“It’s like she never left us,” Britnee said “We picked up right off when she left three years ago. She came right into our arms.”
Jill was found not too far from the Smiths’ former home, though they said they could not tell what happened to her during her disappearance, USA TODAY reported. “We wish she could talk,” Rex said. “We have so many questions and we just want to ask her ‘Take us from the beginning, what happened?'”
Jill’s health was said to be OK when she was found, though she had a few scratches and scrapes. The Smiths also said they are still trying to find Jack and hope he may come around the area Jill was located.
“If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a thousand times… microchips save lives!!!” the Little Rock Animal Village wrote in a Facebook post alongside a photo of the Smiths and Jill. “This family just drove all the way from Texas to be reunited with their beloved Jill at the Little Rock Animal Village. Jill went missing TWO YEARS AGO. This reunion would not have happened had she not been microchipped.”
The animal village also encouraged owners to microchip and register their pets.
