Sometimes fate just leads you back together. After a decade apart, a nonprofit reunited one Arkansas family with their beloved dog.
Nearly ten years and 1,600 miles later, Razzle was back home with his family in Arkansas. But it wasn’t as easy as a car ride home from the shelter. According to Fox News, the dog’s rescue mission consisted of planes, vehicles, and a whole lot of head pats.
Pilot Returns Dog Across The Country
Thanks to California resident Jeremy Wade (not the one from the TV show), Razzle made it back to the Howards. Wade is a dog enthusiast and hero. He personally flew the black Schnauzer over 1,600 miles across the county and back to the emotional family. Wade humbly explains that he is one of many that made Razzle’s return possible.
“I’d just like to think of myself as a very small part of a very important chain that has to all work to try to reduce the number of homeless or neglected animals out there,” Wade said.
Jeremy Wade originally got his pilot license as a fun pastime, but then he had the idea to combine his passions. He joined Pilots n Paws, a nonprofit that unites those who rescue, shelter, or foster animals with volunteer pilots to team up on return missions like Razzle’s.
Vickey Langley, Rhonda Howards’ sister, had Razzle microchipped in 2005 before she gifted the dog to the family. She spoke to Fox News about the heartwarming rescue effort.
“Getting Razzle back has meant the world to our family,” said Langley. “We have been overwhelmed with the kindness from all the people who have helped to get him home.”
Razzle went missing back in 2011, when Howard’s children, Simon and Seth, were only 8 and 15. Now the boys have grown into men but get to relive their childhood dreams of having their beloved pup back.
Razzle’s Return
The dog was found all the way in a shelter in Northern California when he was scanned, and the microchip linked Razzle to the Howards. Unfortunately, Wade revealed that the dog’s health was in very poor condition.
Furthermore, Wade noted that “his medical state was so fragile” that he did not believe the dog would survive a two-day trip in an animal cargo crate. That is why he said he would transport Razzle personally.
Debbie Newton, a volunteer with Pilots n Paws, explains that Razzle was in constant care before his departure home. She says that the organization had “lots of vet visits and cared for him as they tried to stabilize his health a bit.”
However, Wade was up for the task. At 3:30 a.m. on July 6, the pilot took off from San Carlos, California, to retrieve Razzle. After securing the dog, Wade flew five-and-a-half hours to Santa Fe and then another five and a half hours to Heber Springs, Arkansas.
Despite all the worries and health conditions, Wade returned the dog to his family for the first time in ten years.
“It was so wonderful to reach in and lift him out of the crate for them to see him for the first time,” Wade said.
