Dog lost in Oklahoma reunited with owner after eight years

Jan. 28 (UPI) -- An Arizona man whose dog ran off during a stop in Oklahoma City was reunited with his canine companion eight years later.

Paul Guilbeault said he was in the midst of a move from Massachusetts to Arizona eight years ago when he made a pit stop in Oklahoma City and took his 5-year-old miniature pinscher, Damian, for a walk.

Guilbeault said he was trying to keep Damian from running into a road when the canine ran off.

"He either got fed up with being scolded or scared, and he just ran away. He started running down the service road, and I couldn't catch him," Guilbeault told AZ Central.

Guilbeault spent a week in Oklahoma City trying to locate Damian, but eventually had to continue on to Arizona.

It wasn't until eight years later that he received a text message from Oklahoma resident Rick Chambers saying: "I found your dog."

Chambers had found Damian wandering loose and taken him to a veterinarian, where a microchip scan revealed his name and owner's contact information.

Damian was found about 30 miles from where he originally went missing. The dog's whereabouts for the past eight years are unknown, but Chambers said he appeared underweight and had overgrown nails.

Guilbeault and his husband drove to Oklahoma to bring Damian home to Phoenix.

"He's happy as can be. He definitely recognizes me," Guilbeault said.