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A dog from Arizona is finally reunited with his family after escaping the family’s backyard and going missing for 12 long years.

Last month, Maricopa County Animal Care & Control (MCACC) shared that one of their Field Officer picked up a senior dog who looked a little shy and sad.

“He never wagged his tail,” the shelter wrote in a Facebook post.

Luckily, the officer found a microchip on the senior dog, and called the number. The shelter found that the pooch’s name is Minion and had been missing for 12 years.

“Minion’s owner couldn’t believe it–he said the maintenance man left the back gate open back in 2011, and they never saw Minion again,” MCACC wrote.

If you think this reunion story couldn’t get any better, then you’re in for a heartwarming treat!

MCACC’s Field Officer, Allyssa Sanford, personally drove the 15-year-old pooch back to his family. Before the reunion, the officer explained to the owners that Minion is old now and no longer moves fast.

But the moment the officer opened Minion’s kennel, “Minion saw his family and instantly started wagging his tail and was clearly excited to be reunited with his family!”

MCACC continued, “They brought Minion inside and he was nearly running around with his tail wagging around the other dogs–he was home at last.”

Talking to Fox News Digital, Sanford said, “After all that time, he still knew. We went inside and he was running all around. He was like a new puppy again.”

According to Fox News Digital, Skip and Raleigh Crandall, Minion’s owners, adopted the three-year-old Bichon Frise 12 years ago.

Skip Crandall revealed that one day, when the backyard gate was accidentally left open, Minion and another family dog escaped. “One came back and the other did not,” Skip Crandall said.

The Crandalls said they tried to scour the shelters, put up missing signs, and asked neighbors to help look for the pooch. With no luck, Minion never came back and the family tried to move on.

But when the family got the news and was finally reunited with the senior pooch, the family couldn’t hide their happiness.

“He started trotting around and he went inside immediately and started playing with the other dogs. It was amazing,” Skip Crandall said.

Sanford shared, “I was shocked. I didn’t even think that was possible, to have all that time go by and the dog’s still here.”

Skip Crandall thanked Field Officer Sanford and said, “You really went the extra mile for us in bringing Minion directly to our house.“

Furthermore, both MCACC and Minion’s owner used this opportunity to encourage pet owners to get their pets microchipped.

MCACC said, “This reunion wouldn’t have been possible without a microchip! Make sure your pets are chipped and keep your contact information up to date”. And Crandall added, “You definitely want to get your pet chipped!”

Unfortunately, only a few weeks after Minion’s reunion with his family, the 15-year-old pooch has passed away due to complications from anesthesia while having a dental procedure, the Crandall family told Fox News.

Skip Crandall revealed, “The vet speculated that he potentially had a stroke or heart attack.”

“He was suffering and unconscious so we requested to have him put down which the vet agreed with. My son and I were with him and said our goodbyes,” he continued.

According to Fox News, the family brought the pooch home and buried him under a tree in their backyard.