Dogs at Arkansas shelter discovered to be mom and lost daughter. See surprise reunion

A pair of lost dogs were brought to an Arkansas animal shelter separately but turned out to be a mother and daughter missing from the same home.

Fort Smith Animal Haven shared the surprising story on Facebook in a Sept. 25 post, saying the day was “filled with many emotions.”

“We had one of the best reunion stories happen today! In the beginning of August we had Delilah brought in, whose real name is Piper. A few days later we had Diamond (brought) in, whose real name is Blair,” the shelter said. “They came in from different locations, little did we know these 2 girls are mother and daughter and came from the same home! We would have never guessed.”

The dogs’ family had been searching for their missing pups for almost two months and had called many times, the shelter said.

They had sent the shelter a photo of the pups snuggled up on the couch together, but the shelter thought it might be a long shot since the dogs had come in from different places and on different days.

“They called again yesterday to check and while we still didn’t think we had them (it was hard to identify from the pictures presented) an employee saw similarities between the pictures they sent and 2 of our dogs,” the shelter said. “Took a guess and sent them pictures of who we knew as Delilah and Diamond, turns out it was their girls!”

The dogs had been up for adoption in the shelter for over a month at that point, the shelter said, adding that it was “one of the only moments where we were actually excited to say they had not been adopted yet.”

“When their family came in to see them and get everything settled for them to go home, we were met with hugs and many, many tears!” the shelter said. “The excitement that took over these (girls’) bodies could make a grown man cry.”

A photo and video show the happy pups reuniting with their owner, their tails wagging uncontrollably. Piper, the 5-year-old black dog with patches of white, sits in her owner’s lap and licks her tears away as her 2-year-old daughter Blair runs excited circles around them.

“We are SO happy that Piper and Blair are back home and that their family is whole again!” the shelter said. “Stories like this keep us going. The heartbreak comes in when you walk through the door to see that on the other side of the wall is a room filled with dogs waiting for that same story. Knowing that there are others sitting in those kennels that would be that excited to see who they consider their family.”

The shelter encouraged owners missing their pets to come into the shelter to check.

“Pictures don’t always make it so they are identifiable,” the shelter said. “If your dog or cat is sitting in one of our kennels, it doesn’t matter how long they have been there, they will love you the same. They would like to be home with you.”

Several people shared their relief at the happy ending in the comments, while one person gave advice to pet owners with lost animals.

“Just goes to show if you are missing a pet check the shelters yourself,” someone said. “I wonder how (many) were adopted out because owner didn’t take the time.”

Shelter staff said they wonder the same thing. “It also made us wonder how many times we had animals from the same home at the same time and never knew it.”

See mama dog that was dumped reunite with her puppies. ‘No way to hold back the tears’

89-year-old was ‘distraught’ when beloved dog went missing. Then came a joyful reunion

Energetic pup spent 500 days waiting for home. Then he ‘hit the shelter dog jackpot’