One Arizona family recently received some unexpected news when they got a call from Maricopa County Animal Care & Control. An animal control officer had found their missing dog and got their information after scanning the dog's microchip.

The dog, named Minion, had been missing since 2011 when a maintenance worker left the gate to the backyard open and the dog wandered out, never to be seen again.

At least, that's what the family must have thought, because that was a very long time ago, as the before and after picture with their son and Minion shows.

A reunion of a lifetime.

Our Field Officer picked up a senior dog who appeared a little shy and kind of sad, he never wagged his tail. Sure enough, our officer was able to find a microchip and called the number on file. She learned this little pooch's name is Minion and he had been missing for 12 years!! Minion's owner couldn't believe it--he said the maintenance man left the back gate open back in 2011, and they never saw Minion again.

Our Field Officer drove 15-year-old Minion back to his home--she explained to his owner before opening the kennel that Minion is old now and is not really a fast mover. However, once she opened up the kennel, Minion saw his family and instantly started wagging his tail and was clearly excited to be reunited with his family!

They brought Minion inside and he was nearly running around with his tail wagging around the other dogs--he was home at last.

It's not clear where Minion lived for the past decade, but after 12 years away, Minion was obviously very happy to be home. The family was grateful that they chose to get their dog microchipped ... even if it still took over a decade to bring him back.

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