Cincinnati, Ohio - Around two years ago, Marcus the dog was picked up on the streets of Cincinnati, Ohio. What was supposed to be a short stay at Cincinnati Animal CARE turned into a never-ending story with numerous twists and turns!

In the end, the poor four-legged friend was still stuck in the shelter shortly before the Whitsun weekend of 2026.

What his carers then learned from a phone call left them speechless. On the other end of the line was a man named Carlos, who claimed to be Marcus' owner!

It sounded absurd at first, but the caller was quickly able to back up with old photos of Marcus – whom he called Brick.

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The photos "left absolutely no doubt," the animal shelter announced on Facebook last Friday, where Cincinnati Animal CARE posted new photos of its longtime animal guest alongside the old ones.

Particularly dramatic is the fact that Marcus, alias Brick, was so unwell in the days before his long-lost dad called that the animal shelter was already planning to put him to sleep.

Fortunately, the animal shelter also explained in the extensive post how all this could have come about and why Carlos only got in touch after two years.

According to the post, Brick had escaped from his owner's yard around two years ago when he curiously chased three deer into an adjacent wooded area. But why did it take Carlos so long to track down the dog?

Firstly, Carlos hadn't had his four-legged friend chipped. The second problem? He asked for him at the wrong animal shelter.

"His owner, Carlos, searched desperately for him at the closest shelter to his home, but unfortunately, he wasn’t there," wrote Cincinnati Animal CARE on Facebook.

"What Carlos didn’t realize at the time was that the shelter he searched wasn’t the county shelter, meaning if his dog had entered the shelter system, they never would have had him."

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Brick the dog was found quite quickly by rescuers and taken to the appropriate shelter in the system, but his owner had no idea!

The pooch was stuck there for a year before a foster family gave him a chance. Then, after another year, someone took him in for good.

However, this "forever" only lasted a short time. Brick was soon found as a stray on the street and taken back to his old shelter.

Back in the kennels, the dog's world collapsed. When the team discussed putting him to sleep to put him out of his misery, an outcry went through the shelter.

An appeal was launched on social media to save Brick. Thanks to the media attention, Carlos received the news of his furry friend's whereabouts at last.

It was the moment that paved the way for Brick's happy ending and the long-awaited reunion with his beloved human.