A New York family has been reunited with their beloved dog Snuggles after a staggering 11-year separation. The extraordinary reunion, made possible by a simple microchip, has reignited hope for pet owners nationwide who have experienced the heartbreak of losing a furry family member.
At a glance:
• Melanie Epperson’s dog Snuggles disappeared 11 years ago during a family move in New York
• After months of searching, the family had given up hope of ever seeing their pet again
• In March 2025, the City of Buffalo Animal Shelter contacted Epperson’s daughter after scanning Snuggles’ microchip
• The shelter had received Snuggles as a drop-off, though details of his life for the past decade remain unknown
• Experts say microchipping significantly increases the chances of reuniting with lost pets, with microchipped dogs returned to owners 52.2% of the time versus 21.9% for those without
A Decade of Separation Ends with Unexpected Call
Melanie Epperson had long resigned herself to the fact that she would never see her dog Snuggles again after he ran away while she was helping her grandson move into a new home 11 years ago. The disappearance left a hole in the family’s heart, especially during winter months when Epperson worried about her cold-averse pup facing the harsh New York elements alone.
After exhausting search efforts yielded no results, hope eventually faded and life moved on without their furry companion. Then came the phone call that would change everything—a call so unexpected that Epperson initially thought her daughter was playing a cruel joke.
“When I got that call, at first, I thought my daughter was joking. I thought she was playing around,” Epperson recalled of the moment she learned Snuggles had been found. The City of Buffalo Animal Shelter had scanned a recently dropped-off dog for a microchip, revealing contact information for Epperson’s daughter, Chantel Stroud.
Microchip Technology Makes Miracle Possible
The shelter’s routine scan of Snuggles revealed the microchip information that connected him back to his original family. When they contacted Stroud, the conversation left her in disbelief about the pet they had lost so many years ago.
“When they asked if I knew Snuggles, I said, ‘Yeah, that was a long time ago.’ They then asked if I knew Melanie, and I said, ‘That’s my mom’,” Stroud explained. The reunion that followed was nothing short of emotional, with Epperson embracing the senior dog she never expected to see again.
“I’m just overwhelmed, and I’m still overwhelmed, I just can’t believe he’s back,” Epperson said after the reunion. The whereabouts and circumstances of Snuggles’ survival over the past decade remain a mystery, but his return has been embraced as a second chance by his original family.
Pet Safety Experts Highlight Microchipping Success
Gina Lottuch from the SPCA Serving Erie County noted that while such lengthy reunions are rare, they are possible thanks to microchipping technology. She emphasized that responsible pet owners should not only microchip their animals but also keep that information current and pair it with traditional collar identification.
The American Veterinary Medical Association data supports the effectiveness of microchipping, reporting that lost dogs with microchips were returned to their owners 52.2% of the time compared to just 21.9% for those without. This small, rice-sized implant proved to be the crucial link that brought Snuggles home after over a decade of separation.
“I just never thought I would ever see him again,” Epperson shared, adding optimistically, “I Googled it, and he can live up to 18 years old. So, I have another 4 to 5 good years to snuggle Snuggles.”
