Chumley The Lost English Bulldog Mix From Colo., Found More Than 500 Miles Away, Reunites With His Family (PHOTOS)

PHOTOS: Dog Found 500+ Miles Away Reunites With His Family

Four months and over 500 miles later, Chumley the bulldog is finally back with his family in Colorado.

"We're so thankful to those that found him," Rick Riddell, Chumley's owner said when he and his daughter Jenny were reunited with Chumley on Wednesday in Aurora.

"Otherwise we would've had to drive all the way to Kansas, and we would've done it," Riddell said, fondly rubbing Chumley behind the ears.

The Riddell's drove about four hours from their new home in Alamosa to pick up Chumley from the Colorado Animal Rescue Express (C.A.R.E.), the local non-profit organization that transported him and about 15 other animals looking for homes from high kill shelters and puppy mills in the region.

Riddell said they were lucky, because not only does he believe Chumley was stolen from his home in February, but he was able to claim him on the same day Bonner Springs Animal Control was going to put him to sleep.

"I came home from work one day and the gate was open. There was a latch, and no way he could have opened it, but the latch was open and he was gone," Riddell said. "They found him with road rash, like maybe he'd jumped out of a car -- he had a little limp, we don't know. So the microchip saved him."

Riddell added that Chumley underwent a thorough check before coming home and is in perfect health now.

C.A.R.E. co-owner Linda Fox said that she was overjoyed with their reunion.

"I am so happy for this family. He (Riddell) was crying, I was crying," Fox said laughing.

After disappearing from his home, Chumley wasn't seen again until June 7th when he was found on the side of the Kansas Turnpike laying under a tree.

Darath Smith, a dedicated Bonner Springs volunteer who helped find Chumley's family, told The Huffington Post that although Chumley was microchipped it wasn't much use at the time.

"Chumley was scanned and a microchip was found, but the information on it provided outdated information and all of the phone numbers were disconnected," Smith said. "I spent a day researching until I located the owner's son, who I called non-stop until he answered. When his owner found out, he was going to drive all the way here, but instead I told him that we could get Chumley on transports to Denver."

LOOK at adorable Chumley and his family reunion in Colorado:

Before You Go

Chumley's Reunion With His Colorado Family

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