Lost Dog Reunited With Owner In GA By Manatee County Staff: Watch

PALMETTO, FL — A dog abandoned Aug. 1 outside the Palmetto Adoption Center was reunited with its owner more than 400 miles away in Georgia thanks to Manatee County Animal Welfare staff. (Watch a video of their reunion below.)

The pup, Dozer, was left at the front gate of the center after hours.

“The dog was not tied up, but stayed within the facility, confused, lonely and patiently waiting… for someone,” the county said in a news release.

When staff arrived at 7 a.m. the next day, they found Dozer and scanned him for a pet identification microchip. They learned that he belonged to Joyce Hathaway in Augusta, Georgia.

A month earlier, Hathaway lost everything, other than Dozer, to a devastating fire, the county said. A family friend offered to care for the dog while she got back on her feet.

Staff at the adoption center aren’t sure how Dozer got to Manatee County or who dropped him off, Steven Bell, field supervisor, said in a video shared by the county.

Hathaway “was shocked and elated” to hear from MCAW, the county said.

“She was very distraught. She said just about the only thing she has left is her dog,” Bell said.

He drove Dozer directly to Hathaway in Georgia on August 3. He also brought some extra food and bowls for the pup — “a small gesture of ongoing support to someone who suffered a great tragedy and ultimately a happier ending,” the county said.

Bell stressed the importance of microchipping pets.

“If (they) come into a kennel a state away, no one will ever know if you don’t have a microchip,” he said.

Watch a video of Dozer's reunion with his owner: