“Dog people” know that when it comes to unconditional love, nobody does it better than a faithful canine.
When Florida resident Kameroun Mares (pictured above, with her dog) most needed love and support, a beautiful husky entered her life.
She named him Semper Fidelis — meaning “always faithful” in Latin. She called him “Semper” for short.
That was back in 2013, when Mares was receiving treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. She couldn’t have known it then, but her dog would one day fully live up to his name.
Mares was summoned in 2016 to California for further medical treatment; her roommate at the time agreed to take care of Semper while she was gone. Along the way, something went terribly awry.
“I was told by my ex-roommate that he was missing,” Mares explained to The Dodo.
She searched high and low for her dog, but her year-long efforts — including Facebook posts and calls to The Humane Society, proved futile despite the fact that Semper’s microchip had been registered to Mares since he was three months old.
“I was worried sick about him, and missed him dearly,” Mares said.
She finally enlisted the services of private investigator Ana Campos to help track down the beloved black-and-white dog.
“She had purchased a lifetime registration with AKC Reunite” — a lost pet recovery service — Campos told The Dodo.
“A year into this, someone suggested [Mares] check her AKC Reunite chip again. So she went to The Humane Society in May 2017, and they checked online … That is when she discovered that a year earlier, on April 11, 2016, a woman added her name to Semper’s chip,” Campos added.
Campos subsequently learned that someone had put up Semper for sale on Craigslist — for a paltry $200.
From here, the details get a little murky, but the return of the dog seems nothing short of miraculous (see them reunite in Mares’ Facebook video below).
“Apparently, the other microchip company didn’t check to see whether an owner was already registered on Semper’s chip,” Campos told The Dodo.
Watch at your own risk of crying immediately. Here is the video and audio from Kameroun Mares reunion with her dog Semper today. ??He was stolen and sold by her roommate 2 1/2 years ago. She was told he was lost on April 30, 2016. But on April 11, 2016 the buyer added their name to his AKC Reunite "registered chip". They registered this registered chip on Petkey pets instead. Petkey pets did not bother to see if he was chipped already. A lawyer was retained. An ex-parte, pre judgment. writ of replevin and request for a 'break order' was filed. The Judge ruled in her favor and the Sheriff's office seized the dog this morning returning him to the person who always had superior ownership rights. It was a great day.( Ellen DeGeneres ) ( Good Morning America ) ( Live with Kelly and Ryan) ( Today Show ) ( Kathie Lee and Hoda ) ( The View ) ( Fox & Friends ) ( Morning Express with Robin Meade )
Posted by Ana Campos on Thursday, October 18, 2018
Mares and Semper have been reunited thanks to Campos’ sleuthing efforts — and in more great news, Mares’ disease is in remission.
See more amazing dog-human reunions in the video below.
Elizabeth Economou is a former CNBC staff writer and adjunct professor. Follow her on Twitter.
Join the Discussion
COMMENTS POLICY: We have no tolerance for messages of violence, racism, vulgarity, obscenity or other such discourteous behavior. Thank you for contributing to a respectful and useful online dialogue.