Dog Missing for 8 Years Found as Owner Heads to Wildfire Aid [WATCH]

For one Arizona man, a heartbreaking eight-year separation from his beloved dog came to an unexpected end—right as he was en route to help wildfire victims in California.

As reported by The New York Post, Paul Guilbeault, a photographer from Arizona, never stopped hoping he’d one day be reunited with his miniature pinscher, Damian.

In 2017, Paul Guilbeault was moving across the country from Massachusetts to Arizona. During a pit stop in Oklahoma, his dog, Damian, got loose from his leash and ran off.

Eight years later, the pair has been reunited. https://t.co/KhWBmJyYJ7

— ABC News (@ABC) January 29, 2025

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The dog vanished in 2017 when the family made a quick stop near Oklahoma City while moving from Massachusetts to Arizona. In a split second, Damian slipped out of his leash and bolted.

Despite an exhaustive weeklong search, the Guilbeault family left empty-handed, forced to move on without their furry companion.

“He either got fed up with being scolded or scared, and he just ran away,” Guilbeault recalled, according to local reports. “He started running down the service road, and I couldn’t catch him.”

Though the search was eventually called off, Guilbeault never gave up. For years, he posted about Damian on social media, clinging to the hope that his dog was out there somewhere. And, against all odds, that hope paid off.

Fast-forward to 2024, and fate intervened in dramatic fashion. Oklahoma resident Donna Bentley was driving when she suddenly spotted a small dog darting across the road, straight into traffic.

“He turned to me when I picked him up. He was screaming and tried to bite me, but I wasn’t going to put him down and let him get run over,” Bentley told ABC15 KNXV.

Bentley and her brother, Rick Chambers, took the scrappy pup to a vet, where they discovered he was microchipped. The contact information led straight to Guilbeault—who, at that very moment, was driving to Los Angeles to donate clothes to wildfire victims.

His Apple Watch lit up with the call: Damian had been found. Without hesitation, Guilbeault rerouted his trip and drove 14 hours straight to Oklahoma City to reunite with his long-lost companion.

When the moment finally came, the now 13-year-old Damian didn’t hesitate. He recognized his owner immediately.

“Not until I got in front of him did I realize how much of an old man he had become,” Guilbeault admitted.

Despite the years apart, Damian’s bond with his owner remained unbreakable. As soon as he arrived back home in Arizona, there was no doubt—Damian knew exactly where he belonged.

“When we got there, he got such a smile on his face. Like, ‘I know where we’re at. I finally made it home,’” Guilbeault said.

Eight years, countless prayers, and one incredible stroke of luck later, Damian is back where he belongs.