She thought shelter’s photo of a stray dog was a 'mistake' — until one word proved the impossible true, five years after her own went missing

A distressed owner hoped her 1-year-old dog would return after she wandered off on her own. Years passed, but there was no sign of her return. The woman, Kristy Taylor, felt it was best to move on and continued caring for her other pets, three dogs and two cats, while still missing the one that got away. Penny, a chihuahua-dachshund mix, was a sweetheart and bonded well with the entire family. When the dog went missing, Taylor was heartbroken for years and simply prayed her lost pup had found a safe home elsewhere. Later, she stumbled on a photo shared by a rescue shelter five years later, and was confident it was a mistake until one word proved the impossible.  

An avid animal lover, Taylor from Mississippi, had created a life around her beloved pets. Penny was gifted to her by a family friend, and the pup quickly became a precious addition to the family. Similarly, her absence after she went missing was equally painful for the family. Half a decade later, a shelter reached out to Taylor about her lost dog, but she had already accepted that Penny was never to be found. The Volusia County Animal Shelter Services called Taylor to inform her that Penny was found in Central Florida. The staff had run a microchip scan and retrieved information about the owner from it. “I had the shelter send me a picture of Penny to just verify that we had the right dog. Because after so much time had passed, I thought this may be a mistake… but it was Penny!” she told the Orlando Sentinel.  

While a picture can be just as misleading, the final confirmation came only after Taylor got to meet the rescue dog in person. She drove all the way from Mississippi to DeLand, Florida, for nine hours straight to reunite with Penny. She had shared the dog’s name with the rescue staff, and when they tried it out on her, her heartwarming reaction proved it was, in fact, her. The agency said, “her ears perked up and her tail began to wag. That unmistakable reaction confirmed what everyone on the phone was hoping for — Penny was finally found,” in a statement. Taylor was over the moon reuniting with her dog after five long years. The Volusia animal services emphasized the importance of a pet to be microchipped, as it significantly increases the chances of reunion.  

However, a major chunk of the credit for Penny’s reunion went to a Florida couple who first rescued Penny from the streets. Briana Rideout and Daniel Lenoci, also animal lovers, spotted Penny dodging cars on their front street and felt concerned for her safety. “I realize I have to do something, or she’s just going to get hit in front of my house,” Rideout said. They owned four cats, two ferrets, a leopard gecko, and a ball python, and reconsidered whether they had room for another pet.  

After many attempts to find her owner, the couple took Penny to the animal shelter, where the staff found a microchip on her. “We see time and again how this simple tool can turn heartbreak into joy — and that’s why we encourage every owner to make sure their pet is chipped and registered,” Director Angela Miedema noted.