Austin, Texas– When a little dog arrived at Austin Pets Alive! in Texas last month, he was dirty, horribly matted, and injured. Rescuers thought he'd been hit by a car. While removing the dog's matted fur for surgery, the vet had a strange feeling – she'd seen this dog before!
Veterinarian Dr. Rachel Gordon couldn't shake the feeling that she'd seen this poor pooch somewhere. Unfortunately, the dog didn't have a microchip.
Later that evening, Gordon checked a local Facebook group for missing animals and she could hardly believe her eyes. The injured newcomer looked like a dog named Coco, who'd been missing for almost ten months!
Coco disappeared from his owner, Mayra, in December 2025. Mayra and numerous neighbors had searched for the fur ball for weeks.
The veterinarian knew she had to confirm her suspicion, so she contacted Mayra.
"It became immediately clear that this was Coco, because the minute she approached him, reaching out, he immediately crawled over to her and all of his reservations faded into pure relaxation," Austin Pets Alive! told The Dodo.
When the dog and his owner were reunited "tears were flowing." Coco had to stay at the veterinary clinic for treatment, but he's now back with his human!
Mayra says that, these days, Coco is "happy, healthy, and excited."
Rescuers at Austin Pets Alive! were thrilled that Coco's story got a happy ending, but noted that microchipping would have made reuniting the dog with his human easier.