Dad's annoyance forced girl to give up her dog — 7 years later, fate leads them to each other

A woman's reunion with her old pet proved that miracles do happen. Approximately 7 years ago, Nicole Grimes of West Brownsville, Pennsylvania, had to let go of her beloved dog, Chloe. According to People's magazine, "Then 14 years old, Grimes was forced to give up her dog Chloe, who was picked out for her by her late grandmother, because her father, who worked from home, found the dog too distracting."

Due to her dad's new job, he was required to be on call a lot, and Chloe's constant barking did not help. Grimes also told the BBC that this was the moment she knew she had to surrender her pet. "'I remember my dad picked me up from school when I was 14 with the dog in the back seat. I knew we had to give her away." With a heavy heart but no choice, Grimes gave her dog to the Washington Area Humane Society, hoping they'd help Chloe find a new home.

A few years later, Grimes came across a Facebook post about an 11-year-old dog needing a new home. The post instantly caught her attention when she realized the older dog had the same name as her last pet. She also noticed more uncanny similarities between this senior dog and her Chloe. As if her intuition was telling her to go ahead with the decision, Grimes agreed to become the new dog parent to the canine. To cross-check everything, Grimes took Chloe to a local vet to have her microchip scanned. The results confirmed Grimes' intuition as the microchip number of her new dog matched exactly with the unique microchip number of Chloe. In complete shock, Grimes expressed her gratitude and told People's magazine, "I felt like I won the lottery. That was one of the most exciting moments of my life. I just never thought I’d see her again."

Eventually, Grimes learnt that after she had to let go of Chloe as a child, the dog was adopted by an elderly couple who showered her with love till they couldn't and unfortunately passed away. Chloe was then in the care of Grimes's neighbor, who is also the same Facebook friend who posted about Chloe's adoption online. Grimes shared how she never forgot about her beloved dog and occasionally used to talk about her with her mother as well. In a conversation with TODAY, she said, "I always remembered her birthday: Oct. 26." Chloe has also become a favourite amongst Grimes' other family members, especially her four-month-old daughter Violet, she told BBC, "They love to play with each other. Chloe is very gentle with Violet and it warms my heart to see them together."

Chloe and Grimes' story is not only a heart-melting one but also brings attention to the importance of adoption. As reported by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), countless dogs and animals were given up to shelter homes in the year 2024. About 5.8 million dogs and cats ended up in shelters and rescues, which is just a small drop from the year before. In the same year, about 2 million dogs were adopted, 554,000 were returned to their owners, 334,000 were put to sleep, and 524,000 were sent to other groups or shelters.