Lost dog found 600 miles away after nearly four years

A dog that went missing from a family friend’s Colorado home in 2020 turned up four years later near the Mexican border — nearly 600 miles away.

Benjamin Baxter was 13 years old when he brought home a 6-week-old puppy named Patches, but in 2020 he had to move to Nebraska for a new job, and his new rental home did not allow dogs.

Patches stayed with a family friend in Calhan, Colo., while Baxter searched for a new home that would allow his pet, but she had only been staying with the friend for a couple of months when she escaped.

Baxter said he initially wasn’t worried, since Patches had a history of escaping, but as the days went on and there were no responses to the “lost dog” posters, he gave up hope.

Baxter’s wife, Elizabeth, received a phone call Jan. 31, from his mother, who said she had been receiving calls about Patches being found in Las Cruces, N.M., but she suspected the calls might be a scam.

Baxter contacted the shelter and was soon convinced that they indeed had his long-lost furry friend.