When Mike Plas lost his dog, Jack, four years ago, he had no idea that shelter over 400 miles away would play a crucial role in their reunion. So it’s no wonder that Mike, who lives in Thunder Bay, Ontario in Canada, was shocked when he recently received a phone call from an animal shelter in the neighboring Manitoba province called to ask if he’d ever owned a dog named Jack.
Mike took to Facebook to share his story, writing, “So I got the greatest phone call I’ve ever gotten yesterday at work around 2:40 pm…. an animal shelter from Winnipeg called me and ask my name and if I had a dog named Jack!? So I said I lost him 4 years ago in Ontario. And then they said ‘well we got your info from his microchip and he’s here in Winnipeg’.”
His dog Jack is a Husky/Shepherd mix who went missing after he slipped out of his perimeter collar and took off from home. As Mike explained to CTV News, he had searched for his beloved canine companion for years, frequently posting online about Jack in hopes that someone would recognize him.
“We did everything together – we went fishing together, went hunting together, he came to work with me half the time. I’d take time off work to celebrate his birthday with him. Some days I’d get really upset when I’m missing him a lot. But I never lost hope,” Mike revealed.
As soon as Mike had gotten off the phone with the Centennial Animal Hospital in Winnipeg, he went home and in the evening, began the long drive to go get Jack.
As Mike further wrote, “The next day we finished the drive to Winnipeg, and me, Kenzi, my sister, and husband went to the shelter and told them who I was, showed them a picture of me and Jack and they brought him out and instantly felt like my life was back to normal. Life without him has never been the same and the feeling of having Jacko back is unexplainable. Never EVER lose hope…. I didn’t and after 4 years apart in different provinces we are together again.”
Along with his post, Mike also shared the beautiful moment when he and Jack reunited:
Posted by Mike Plas on Saturday, September 21, 2019
The animal hospital had informed Mike that Jack was found on a road nearby. They have no idea how he got all the way from Thunder Bay to Winnepeg – which is over 400 miles away. Regardless of the mystery, Mike feels complete in his life again, and it would seem that Jack does too.
As Mike described, “When they opened up the door and he saw me, he started going crazy. He started crying, kissing me, rolled over on the ground and wanted me to pet his belly. His tail hasn’t stopped wagging for a while.”
