Six years ago, Amanda Hulebak and her husband lost two of their beloved dogs, Tessa and Ray. Someone opened the backyard gate of the committed dog rescuers’ Hockley, Texas home and let them out.

For a year, Hulebak searched tirelessly for Tessa and Ray, but she eventually gave up, thinking she was never going to see them again.

In late November, Hulebak received an unexpected phone call from the Missouri Animal Center.  They had a dog with a microchip containing her contact information. It was Tessa, who had run away after being adopted out by another shelter.

Ray, on the other hand, was euthanized for reasons Hulebak doesn’t understand. She traced his microchip to another shelter, where he’d been adopted and returned before his life was tragically ended.

Hulebak questions why the dogs’ microchips weren’t scanned when they were first taken to shelters, but she knows she can’t change the past and wants to take a proactive approach to prevent other pet parents from going through similar situations.

Watch this video to enjoy Hulebak and Tessa’s tearful reunion and to hear, in her own words, how she hopes to work toward ensuring the traceability of microchipped pets.