Gypsy the greyhound was rescued by Zara Henrique Guerreiro after suffering abuse and neglect.
The now elderly “gentle giant” spent several happy years at home with Zara and his partner Sarah Jayne Smith, before going missing on 29 August, 2017.
“He was always a bit streetwise and independent and would often take himself off for little walks, but he would always come back. One day he just disappeared”, Sarah Jayne recalls in comments to The Portugal News.
Over the past year, the couple never gave up hope of being reunited with Gypsy. They kept in close contact with all local vets and launched an online appeal for people to keep an eye out for the distinctive dog.
“So many people helped out on the internet. Everyone has been wonderful. There were a few sightings, in places like Patã and Algoz. We never gave up hope of finding him, but we were starting to reach a point where we thought we might never see him again”, Sarah Jayne says.
However, last Saturday, almost 15 months to the day after he went missing, the couple returned to their home in Paderne to find Gypsy waiting for them in the garden.
“We were in the car, we drove into the garden, and we just couldn’t believe what we were seeing. My partner jumped out of the car and ran over to Gypsy; he was in tears, hugging him. My daughter too. We were all just crying”, Sarah Jayne recalls.
She adds: “We’d just bought a new big bed for our other dogs, so we joke he must have heard about it and decided to come home”.
After a “nice warm shower” and a thorough inspection, Gypsy was found to be in relatively good condition; with the exception that part of his tail was missing.
“He’s a bit weak on his back legs, and he looks as if he might have had a coat on, so we don’t know if someone else might have been looking after him”, Sarah Jayne reflects.
Since his return the wanderer has been doing “lots of sleeping” and showing no signs of wanting to take off on any more adventures.
“He’s just a very content dog, and so placid, we don’t think he’ll be going anywhere”, the couple muse, adding: “We hear all this sad news about animals; we hope a bit of good news might put a smile on peoples’ faces and give others hope”.