Woman reunited with dog stolen from her 8 years ago

An English bulldog who was snatched from a backyard in Memphis, Tenn., and vanished for eight years has been reunited with her owner in Phoenix, 1,400 miles away.

“Fatcat” had been found in a dump and dropped off at an animal-rescue shelter in West Memphis, Ark. The shelter then tracked down the dog’s owner, Lashena Harris, 34, of Glendale, Ariz. Fatcat had a microchip. Harris couldn’t believe it when she heard the dog had been found.

“It was complete shock,” Harris told Fox 10 News in Phoenix Sunday. “I just never thought I would see her again.”

Fatcat was 2 when she was stolen and turned into a breeding machine. She’s 10 now with numerous ailments, including tumors, heartworms and periodontal disease caused by years of abuse and neglect.

Kathy Sneed, of the animal rescue shelter where Fatcat was dropped off, told the Arizona Republic the dog's recovery was "truly remarkable."

"This is a really great feel-good story," she told the paper. "It is the most extreme return-to-owner that I've ever come across."