How long can a dog remember its former owner if it changes homes? As scientists from Oregon discovered, forever. The fact is that dogs have a well-developed long-term memory and they keep everything that comes to hand.
So even if she lives with a new owner for a long time, she will remember everyone she thought was her owner before. A story that happened to an American, Michael Joy, from Georgia, and his dog, Sam, fits into these findings.
In 2016, Michael was going on a trip with his family when suddenly his three dogs ran off somewhere. Two of them quickly returned, but the third, four-month-old puppy Sam, disappeared as if he had vanished. Michael searched for him for a long time, leaving reviews and calling local shelters, but to no avail.
Later, because of his job, Michael had to move to Kentucky, but he continued to look for Sam, despite the distance. Occasionally he would fly to Georgia and try to find information about the puppy, but there was no news.
Almost five years passed, and one day Michael received a call from an animal advocate in Cleveland, Ohio. He gave her the good news: they got Sam. The man strongly doubted that it was his dog, but the description matched perfectly, and in addition, the dog had a chip with his coordinates.
An overjoyed Michael immediately traveled to Ohio with his family, making an eight-hour nonstop trip. He wasn’t sure Sam would recognize him, though, because it had been a long time. But his fears were unfounded: Sam greeted his family happy and it was obvious he hadn’t forgotten them.
The dog recognized Michael, although the man had changed in appearance – instead of a short haircut, he had long hair and a beard. Of course, the dog was brought home and now lives with Joy’s family.
Where he had been for five years and how he had ended up in Cleveland, a long way from his home in Georgia, remained a mystery. It’s likely that someone harbored it for a while and then the dog either ran away or was dumped. But anyway, he’s finally gone home, and Michael is perfectly happy.
