Dog reunited with his family after four years

Never could dog rescue advocate and social media personality Patrice Lavoie have imagined that he would be returning rescued dog Leon to his original owners, four months after adopting him from a Quebec SPA shelter.

“Honestly, it took not even two minutes like they brought the dog to me and he was already really sweet and cuddling and he was like licking my hands and so I went outside with him. We leash and we kind of laid on the on the grass and he was like being like wanting some belly rub and he was on his back and being really sweet,” said Lavoie.

After posting a photo of Leon on social media, the original family recognized the dog, who had been separated from them for four years. Lavoie then reunited the dog with its original owners, and documented his unexpected story in a TikTok video, which has since touched the hearts of hundreds of thousands.

“The dog recognized them right away. He recognized the lady and recognized him too,” said Lavoie.

The previous owner didn’t ask to have the dog back, but “you can tell that he was really sad like just hearing the whole story.”

Relinquishing Leon was a difficult decision, but Lavoie knew it was the right choice to reunite the lost dog with his original family, who also owned Leon’s parents.

“Even if you love a dog and you you had certain plan with the dog. If at the end of the day you think that the dog’s happiness is with somebody else, you actually need to go forward and to do something about it because it’s the dog’s happiness that matters the most. It’s not necessarily yours,” said Lavoie.

Lavoie stays in touch with Leon’s family and visits occasionally. He also receives regular updates, including pictures and videos, showing the dog happily living with his reunited family.

“They are taking really really good care of the dog. So I just want to reassure everybody in case some people are worried.”

This experience hasn’t changed Lavoie’s views on pet adoption. He still encourages others to adopt from shelters.

“Sometimes dogs, they are amazing dogs, gentle, sweet, and they don’t necessarily have behavioral problems. Sometimes they just happen to be there because of a lack of time or something happened with the family, like there’s a new baby and then they cannot take care properly of the dog anymore.”