Family Reunites With Dog 3 Years Later

When Andrea Arce split up with her husband three years ago, a nasty custody fight ensued. The fight was not over their 2 children, it was over the family pet, their prized German Sheppard, Rico. And when her ex spitefully gave the dog up after gaining custody, Andrea and her two daughters thought they had lost their loved family member. They were heartbroken.

Then came the call they had been waiting three years for. Six-year old Rico had been found wandering the streets of Virginia. Shelter workers identified him by a micro-chip and called Andrea a couple of weeks ago to tell her Rico had been found nearly 2,500 miles away. It's unclear how he ended up all the way in Virginia.

On Saturday, Rico was flown home, and Arce and her daughters, 6 and 8, went to pick him up. The girls had no idea they were being reunited with their beloved dog. As they family walked up to his United Airlines flight crate, Rico began scratching and whining. When he was finally let out it was clear Rico had missed his owners, as badly as they had missed him.