Stolen German Shepherd Back With Owner After Six Years With Michigan Family

Triette Cathey never gave up hope after her German Shepherd Max was stolen six years ago. Now he's back and the family that's been caring for him has agreed to babysit when Cathey is out of town.

Family Unaware They Were Harboring a Stolen Dog

After Cathey's dog was stolen, he wound up with a family in Garden City. The family, whose identity has not been released, tells Detroit's WDIV-TV that they had no idea their dog had been stolen. Garden City is about halfway between Detroit and Ann Arbor in the Metro Detroit area.

But recently Max showed up at 'Lucky Dog,' a boarding center in Garden City where stray dogs are taken after they're picked up.

Stacey Karafotis is the owner of Lucky Dog. She says that because Max was microchipped by Cathey, the organization contacted the police who notified her as the dog's registered owner.

But before Cathey arrived, Max's adopted family showed up at the shelter with photos and information that matched the dog's microchip information.

“The (Max’s) owner calls me and says, ‘Is this Stacey?’ I said ‘Yeah,’ she goes ‘Do you have my dog, Max?’ And I’m like, ‘You already picked him up,’ she goes ‘No, I’ve been missing my dog Max for more than four years,” Karafotis explained.

 

Reunited, and it Feels So Good

Karafotis put two and two together and figured out what had happened. She contacted both owners who agreed to meet at the shelter.

She notes that Max's adoptive family felt that it was only right for him to be returned to his rightful owner.

“I called both owners and they met here the next day, they’ve kept in contact and they’re gonna be the pet sitters for Max when the old owners goes on vacation,” Karafotis said.