Miami

Pit Bull Found in South Florida Being Reunited with Memphis Owner

It's a happy ending for China the pit bull. After being lost from her owner for eight months and over 1,000 miles away, she's finally been found.

"We got her back now, so she'll be around her lovely little family again, so we got our furball back," said China's owner, James Haney, who lives in Memphis.

Haney, who spoke with NBC 6 via Skype, said he recognized his dog after seeing a picture of her on Instagram, "I saw her pop up on my screen and that's my baby, that's my furry baby."

Haney worked with animal advocates Chew Davis and Dahlia Canes and they called Miami-Dade Animal Services to get the dog.

It was a long and hard journey for the three-year-old pit bull who ended up in South Florida. She was picked up wandering the streets around Miami Gardens.

Employees at Miami-Dade Animal Services said they believe China was stolen. She's a purebred pit bull so it appears the dog nappers used her for breeding.

"She was over-bred and over-bred and now when she can give no more, they threw her on the streets," Canes explained.

Haney got emotional when he heard that someone found his beloved sidekick, "That was my baby. I ain't gonna lie. I'm 50-years-old and I broke down and cried like a real child."

Animal services waived all redemption fees and even put in a free microchip so she doesn't get lost again. A local animal advocate is now safely transporting the dog back to her loving owners in Memphis.

"The dog has been missing for eight months but the moral of the story here is you don't give up on your dog when it's stolen or missing," Canes said.

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