Emaciated dog reunited with family after 10 years. Now she’s a ‘happy, wiggly mess’

When a dog named Abby showed up at an Ohio animal shelter, she was hardly able to stand or walk.

The emaciated pup had been missing from her home for 10 years, and now she was severely underweight, according to a Sept. 1 Facebook post from the Montgomery County Animal Resource Center.

But fortunately for Abby, she was given a microchip before she vanished from her family a decade ago, the shelter said. And because of that, she was recently reunited with her loved ones.

“She turned into a happy, wiggly mess the minute her family came to pick her up,” according to the Facebook post.

Since Abby has been back home, she’s gained a “whopping” 16 pounds, the shelter said. She also “loves playing with her family and going on walks, despite everything she’s been through.”

Microchips are small chips that can be placed under a pet’s skin to help find their owners if they get lost, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. A study published in 2009 found “microchipped animals are far more likely to be returned to their owners.”

This story was originally published September 1, 2023 at 2:22 PM with the headline "Emaciated dog reunited with family after 10 years. Now she’s a ‘happy, wiggly mess’."