Tennessee family reunited with pitbull lost for 4 years

Tennessee family reunited with pitbull missing for 4 years

FOX 29's Kelly Rule has the story.

PHILADELPHIA - A Tennessee woman and her beloved pitbull were reunited Sunday morning in Philadelphia after being separated for four years.

Jodi Chamlee says she lost her dog, Gucci, while she was moving with her husband and daughter from Georgia to Tennessee. A loud noise startled at a rest stop startled Gucci and she ran away.

After searching through rescues, Chamlee says she tracked down the facility that found Gucci but they had already shipped her to New York.

"I searched through hundreds and thousands of pictures a day," Chamlee said.

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The search for Gucci continued for years, until this week when Marvin and Jessica Graaf with the Philly Bully Team pulled her from euthanization.

Gucci, now 15-years-old, required immediate medical care for bad skin, walking issues, and a distended stomach.

"I'm a sucker for old dogs, so I said 'Let's pick this one up and get it to the hospital'," Graff said.

ACT Philly connected the Graafs with Chamlee, who was able to identify and discuss specific markings on Gucci that confirmed she was the owner. Chamlee also kept all of Gucci's medical records.

"Obviously at first I was like 'There's no way'," Marvin Graaf said.

While Gucci will require medical attention and is a senior dog, the Chamlees dropped everything and drove up to Philadelphia in the middle of a pandemic to be reunited with their long lost friend.

"The family is finally back together, it has not been the same," Chamlee said.

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