In January 2018, a German Shepherd puppy was stolen outside her home in Baytown, Texas. She loves everyone she meets, so she doesn’t protest when strangers welcome her into their car. The family of the stolen puppy searched for weeks without finding a trace and gradually gave up hope.
But weeks turned into months, then years. It got to the point where the family thought they would never see their dog again. But then they get a phone call that changes everything. A shelter 600 miles away claims to have a missing German Shepherd in their care, even though it’s been almost five years.
Beloved puppy Hops in the wrong car
The German shepherd named Sheba was less than a year old when he disappeared. Her personality adores her friendly nature and easygoing disposition, and she is a best friend to their three-year-old daughter.
However, Sheba was out while her family was having dinner at their neighbor’s house. That one moment changed everything. Security footage shows a white van slowly approaching the house, and Sheba rushes to greet them. The puppy jumped into the car without hesitation, not realizing she was in danger. The car drove off with Sheba inside.
Sheba’s owner, Stephanie Malmstrom, marked the dog’s microchip as missing and began a frantic search. She made posters and even created a Facebook page to share updates. She begged for help, but no one saw.
“We will not ask any questions or pursue anything. Just get her to a humane shelter where she can have a microchip scan or drop her off in the neighborhood and she’ll find her way home,” Malmstrom said.
An unexpected comeback
After nearly 5 years of searching with no leads, the family gave up. So when someone from animal control in Borger, Texas, contacted Malmstrom, she thought it was a joke. She joked that she thought they would offer her an excursion and another million dollars.
“We searched for years, but after four and a half years Sheba went missing, I lost a little bit of hope,” Malmstrom said.
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But animal control officers explained that they saw Sheba roaming the streets, and she seemed too friendly to be a stray. They got Malmstrom’s information after scanning Sheba’s microchip. So the family made an appointment with Sheba to make sure it was really her. Sure enough, the dog still responded to her name and some of the German commands her family had taught her.
However, Borger is about 600 miles from Sheba’s hometown. So the family is partnering with the nonprofit Pilot N Paws, who will bring Sheba home. Sheba will be returning home in the next few days, so the family hopes she will remember them. She may be older now, but her family is overjoyed that she gave all the love she missed.
Featured pictures: YouTube
