All dog owners will from time to time have the fear of turning around and not being able to find their little companion. The separation anxiety you feel is likely only a fraction of what dogs go through, however.

How scared and confused they must be when they get lost.

Imagine not being able to find your pet for 2 years. The sadness and anxiety you would feel would be immense. Your pet, who surely loves you very much, would be heartbroken and worried as well.

This man was devastated after his dog ran away from home.

The man’s name is Bill Ballato and his dog Bosco is a 9-year-old Beagle mix. The two were very close and lived in Westerley, Rhode Island.

Ballato’s neighbors had seen how close the man and his dog were as well. The bond between Bosco and Ballato was strong.

One day, however, he went out to his backyard and found only his dog’s collar and leash, but no Bosco. He immediately did whatever he could think of to find him.

Calling Bosco’s name never did much good so he enlisted the help of some friends to help him look.

They couldn’t find Bosco anywhere.

All pet owners fear not being able to find their animal companions. Most pet owners will never know the sadness of spending countless hours searching and searching for a pet and not being able to find them.

An unlikely few will lose them forever. That sadness is hard to describe.

The man did everything he could think of to find his dog.

If this happens to you, there are several things you can do to find your missing friend. Contacting animal shelters and rescue organizations, local police, and asking your neighbors are all steps one can take when their pet is missing.

Ballato did all of those things but still couldn’t find Bosco.

Losing Bosco left Ballato depressed.

Pets are great for our mental health. Unfortunately, losing his dog had harmful impacts on Ballsco’s well-being. He said he felt depressed, hopeless, and anxious.

These feelings increased when he moved away from Rhode Island to Lafayette, Colorado.

One would think that by the time he moved to Colorado that Ballato had given up all hope of being reunited with Bosco again but that wasn’t the case. He later told Fox31:

“There were nights, horrible nights that I wondered, especially after big storms, but something told me that he’d make it.”

Ballato continued to search for his lost friend.

Hopeful news arrives.

One day Ballato received an email from a police officer in Rhode Island. The officer said he had spotted Bosco in a parking lot.

Ballato was elated to hear that Bosco was spotted. The problem was that he was in Colorado and a long way away from where Bosco had been discovered.

Ballato contacted a woman named Sheila Graham to help. Graham works for Homeland Security but in her spare time helps out people like Ballato as a pet detective.

A safe trap was set for Bosco.

Graham set a very safe trap to lure Bosco into a cage. She was able to do this effectively with Bosco and then called Ballato to let him know his lost pet was in her care. What happened when she made that call will melt your heart.

Bosco immediately recognizes Ballato’s voice.

What happened next was a truly heartwarming moment. As Graham was on the phone with Ballato, Bosco heard his owner’s voice. Bosco immediately began howling and barking. It was clear the scared lost dog recognized his owner’s voice.

Ballato was delighed to hear Bosco too.

It wasn’t just Bosco who was excited, Ballato was thrilled to hear his lost dog’s voice once again. Graham and Ballato made the arrangements to finally reunite the two once again. It took a little while for Bosco to process the reunion but now the two are living together happily once again.

You can view Ballato and Bosco’s emotional reunion in the video below.

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Source: Bart Ehleen/Animal Channel