Colby reunited with his family. (San Diego Humane Society via SWNS)
By Ben Barry
A family was reunited with their six-year-old Maltipoo three years after it went missing.
On the evening of Tuesday, Sept. 8, Humane Law Enforcement officers responded to a call about an abandoned dog at the Jewish Family Service Safe Sleeping site in San Diego, California.
After securing the dog and bringing him in for care, officers scanned him for a microchip.
The scan came back positive, leading the team to discover that Colby had been reported missing since September 27, 2023.
Determined to follow the lead, Humane Law Enforcement officers worked to confirm the contact details and reach Colby's family.
The pup had been missing for three years before he was reunited with family. (San Diego Humane Society via SWNS)
His owner received a call around 9:30 p.m. on the day Colby was found and immediately woke her children to share the news that he had finally been found and was coming home.
Because the family had not had a dog in their home for nearly three years, the owner spent the night and following morning gathering supplies to get ready for his return.
Colby arrived flea-infested, with a possible skin infection underneath his matted fur.
To help set the family up for success, San Diego Humane Society's medical team treated him to grooming, a bath, vaccines and a wellness check.
(San Diego Humane Society via SWNS)
On September 9, 2026, Colby was finally reunited with his mom, Cindy, and her son, Gregory.
Speaking about being reunited with Colby, Cindy said: "We're just so happy today that we got our Colby back after three years.
"We gave hope, but thanks to the microchip, I was called right away, and we were so excited to get him back.
"We missed him so much; every day we'd think about him, so this is awesome.
"When Colby was missing, we reported it right away to the microchip company. As soon as we got the call, we were happy to get him back."
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