FREMONT, Neb. — "The best way to describe that day was just utter disbelief,” said Benjamin Baxter, Patches' owner.
Disbelief that after nearly four years, Baxter's childhood dog, Patches, is still alive.. And safe.
"They had put a lost or found ad up for her,” said Benjamin. “And I'm looking at this picture and I'm just like there's no way, right?"
Benjamin says he first brought Patches home 10 years ago when she was only six weeks old, and they were instant best friends.
"I would be hunting rock climbing or whatever, and she'd be right there,” said Benjamin. “And she was the only dog I've ever been around that actually loved rock climbing. But she'd always have this big, goofy grin on her face the whole time."
But in 2020 Benjamin had to leave Patches with a family friend in Calhan, Colorado after moving to Nebraska because his apartment didn't allow pets.
"She decided that she would take Patches from me until I could find another place where I could have a dog with me,” said Benjamin.
But just a couple of months later in April 2020, Patches escaped her kennel and was nowhere to be found.
"By day seven, I started realizing that we weren't going to find this dog and I was devastated,” said Benjamin.
Until this year on January 31, Benjamin’s wife Elizabeth Baxter got a call from Benjamin’s mom.
"She'd been getting missed calls from an area code in New Mexico saying that they had Patches, and she's like is this a scam, is this not? I don't know,” said Elizabeth.
Patches had been found as a stray in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
"All in all, like, considering the circumstance of her being found on the street as a stray, like, she looks very, very good,” said Elizabeth.
Benjamin says multiple shelters worked to bring Patches back to Colorado to his family friend over the last week.
"We've got lots of time to make up for,” said Benjamin. “And I just want to give her a place where she can be at peace and be at rest in these last couple of years that we're going to get together."
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