Beloved dog spent months separated from military family. See their ‘sweet’ reunion
A beloved dog spent months separated from his military family — then came a long-awaited reunion.
“Duke’s dad always said his first stop in the States would be to pick up Duke, and it was,” a Virginia animal shelter wrote Feb. 11 on Facebook. “Their reunion was sweet and all the time Duke had been reserved before, faded away when he saw them. He was the happiest he’d ever been and so were they!”
Photos and video from the Lynchburg Humane Society captured the heartwarming moments when the family — who had been overseas — finally saw Duke again.
Duke was a “military brat” until his circumstances changed last year. He had been living with his family in Germany as they started returning to the United States. But then one of his owners got orders from the Army to stay in Europe, and rules prevented Duke from flying back.
“They were completely stuck,” the shelter wrote. “Duke had nowhere to go, and their extended family did not have the ability to care for Duke, so their only option was to surrender him to us. Oceans away and all they could do was to email us to explain the situation, and hope Duke would be okay.”
When Duke landed at the humane society in August, he became known as a smiley dog with a love for the outdoors. He was confused about being separated from his owners, who were fighting to reach him.
“While he had some difficulty warming up to new people in our care, he became friends with many of our staff members who love him so much,” spokesperson Claire LeFew told McClatchy News via email.
Eventually, Duke went up for adoption. But he was removed from the list when his owners shared the good news that they were returning. They couldn’t wait to see him, and “tears of joy” were shed as Duke finally saw his family again.
“This was the happy ending we hoped for,” the shelter wrote. “It was a pleasure to love and care for Duke during his time with us, but now we are gracious he is back where he belongs, with his family.”
Lynchburg is a roughly 55-mile drive east from Roanoke.
This story was originally published February 12, 2025 at 1:00 PM.
