Dog ‘abducted from his Florida home’ is found 1,400 miles away in Michigan two months later

A dog from Florida, missing for more than two months, has been found 1,400 miles (2,253 kilometers) away in Michigan.

Kris Gibson discovered Simba standing at her fence in Mount Morris Township, north of Flint. 

She lured him with a snack and took him to an animal clinic, which confirmed the dog’s identity through his microchip.

‘Usually when I find dogs, they never ever have a chip. I was pretty shocked,’ Gibson told MLive.com about the discovery she made on March 5. 

Kris Gibson discovered Simba standing at her fence in Mount Morris Township on March 5

‘They are thousand-dollar dogs,’ Kassidy Gruno, a veterinary assistant at Mayfair Animal Hospital, said. ‘The cheapest one around here was $1,800’

‘The staff at Mayfair contacted the owner who didn’t understand her and hung up, Gibson explained in a Facebook post.

‘The wonderful staff at Mayfair Animal Hospital went a step further and contacted the shelter that microchipped Simba as well as the microchip company.’

Kassidy Gruno, a veterinary assistant at Mayfair Animal Hospital, believes the Miami dog, a Canary mastiff, might have been abducted with the intent of selling him. 

The owner of the pooch, whose breed is otherwise known as a Presa Canario in its native Canary Islands, Spain, said Simba was in the yard before he went missing. 

A vet believes the Canary mastiff might have been abducted with the intent of selling him. The dog is seen traveling with Gibson (left and right)

‘They are thousand-dollar dogs,’ Gruno said. ‘The cheapest one around here was $1,800.’

Just 11 days ago Gibson shared that despite getting in contact with the owners via text, nobody knew ‘how he got up here or how we are going to get him back home’. 

But as of last Thursday Gibson was making arrangements to return Simba to Florida.

Non-profit organization Pilots N Paws arranged to fly the pet back home.  

Gibson is working with a non-profit to return Simba to Miami via plane, she said in a Facebook post

Gibson was pictured taking the dog on a walk Sunday. She and the vet have hailed the benefits of microchipping

Images shared on social media Sunday showed Gibson still bonding with Simba on a walk.

‘For such a big guy he is a bit of a chicken,’ she captions pictures. ‘He didn’t last long on this walk, he was way more interested in leaning on me for pets and scratches.’

‘I always advocate for chipping,’ Gibson added. ‘I used to volunteer in rescue groups, and I would say 90% of the dogs that come in aren’t micro chipped, or they don’t register them.’

Mayfair Animal Hospital posted on Facebook: ‘The Mayfair team is so glad for Simba and his family. Microchipping your pets is fast, easy, and lasts for their entire lifetime!’