A man reunited with his pet after eight years (4 photos)

Paul Guilbeault from Arizona, USA, was reunited with his pet after an eight-year separation. He was on his way to help fire victims in California when he found his dog.





Damian, a miniature pinscher, went missing in 2017 while moving from Massachusetts to Arizona. The family made a stop near Oklahoma City when the dog broke loose from his leash and ran away. The owners searched for Damian for a week, but unfortunately, to no avail.

"Either he was tired of being scolded or he was scared. But he ran away and I couldn't catch him," Paul Guilbeau said.

The American believed that Damian would find his way home and for years wrote about his missing pet on social media.



Eight years later, Donna Bentley almost hit Damian when he ran out onto the road in Oklahoma City.

"When I picked him up, he was barking and trying to bite me, but I wasn't going to let him go, I knew he was going to get hit by a car," Bentley told ABC15 KNXV.





The pinscher was taken to the vet. The 13-year-old was underweight and had overgrown claws, but otherwise appeared to be healthy. The vet also scanned the animal's microchip and saw Guilbeau's contact information.

Paul was driving to Los Angeles with boxes full of clothes for wildfire victims when he received a text that Damian had been found.

The man was reunited with his pet in Oklahoma City 14 hours later.



“It wasn’t until I was standing in front of him that I realized how old he had gotten,” Guilbeau said.

Despite the passing of the years, Damian immediately recognized his owner.

“When we walked into the house, he kind of smiled. He seemed to be thinking, ‘I know where we are. I’m finally back,’” Guilbeau added.