Arizona man reunited with lost dog after 8 years

An Arizona man experienced an emotional reunion with his lost dog after an eight-year separation while he was en route to provide relief for wildfire victims in California.

Paul Guilbeault’s miniature pinscher, Damian, disappeared in 2017 while Guilbeault and his family were moving from Massachusetts to Arizona.

The dog went missing near Oklahoma City when the family stopped for a break during their cross-country journey. Despite staying in the area for a full week searching for Damian, they were unable to find him.

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

Eventually, Guilbeault’s father made the difficult decision to call off the search, but the family never gave up hope. Guilbeault continued posting about his missing dog on social media for years, believing that Damian might one day be found.

That day finally arrived when Donna Bentley nearly hit a small dog with her car after it ran into traffic in Oklahoma City.

“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 said.

Bentley’s brother, Rick Chambers, took the dog to a veterinarian, where they discovered that the now 13-year-old miniature pinscher was slightly underweight and had overgrown nails but was otherwise in good health.

A scan of Damian’s microchip revealed Guilbeault’s contact information. At that moment, Guilbeault was on his way to Los Angeles with a donation of clothing for wildfire relief efforts when he received a call on his Apple Watch. After an urgent 14-hour drive, he arrived in Oklahoma City to reunite with Damian.

“Not until when I got in front of him that I realized how much of an old man he had become,” Guilbeault said.

Despite the long years apart, Damian recognized his owner and his home immediately.

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

Pets Need Better Treatment 

The heartwarming reunion between Paul Guilbeault and his lost dog, Damian, is a testament to the power of hope and perseverance. However, it also raises troubling questions about the treatment of lost pets and the negligence that often leads to their suffering.

While Damian’s story ended happily, it is difficult to ignore the fact that for eight years, he lived an uncertain life—wandering the streets, possibly in the care of people who failed to provide him with even the most basic level of care.

The condition in which Damian was found suggests prolonged neglect. Overgrown nails and slight malnutrition indicate that whoever had Damian before he was rescued either failed to take him to a vet or did not care enough to ensure he was properly fed and groomed.

This is not just a matter of oversight; it is a clear sign of irresponsibility. When people take in a pet, whether they find it lost or adopt it willingly, they assume a responsibility to provide it with food, shelter and medical attention. Whoever had Damian for those eight years failed him in that regard.

Additionally, the fact that Damian was still microchipped and yet remained separated from his rightful owner for so long suggests another failure. If someone had taken him in, they either deliberately avoided checking his microchip or ignored the information it provided.

This is an all-too-common issue with lost pets—many are either never scanned for microchips or are kept by people who choose not to reunite them with their original owners. This kind of behavior is not just unethical; it deprives families of their beloved pets and forces animals into unnecessary hardship.

Another concern is how easily Damian ended up in such a dangerous situation, nearly being hit by a car. If he had been in the care of a responsible owner, he would not have been roaming the streets of Oklahoma City in the first place. The fact that he was found in traffic, frantically running and in distress, suggests he had no stable home—possibly for years.

Ultimately, while this story ended on a positive note, it should serve as a wake-up call. Pet ownership is a commitment, and failing to take proper care of an animal—especially one that belongs to someone else—is an act of negligence.

Damian was lucky to be found, but many other lost pets are not as fortunate. Those who had the opportunity to reunite him with his owner sooner but failed to do so are the ones responsible for his years of uncertainty.