A missing dog was reunited with her owners in Santa Clarita Wednesday after she was reported stolen more than three years ago.

In April 2015, Shawnee, a Shih Tzu, was reportedly stolen from the front of her Castaic home after escaping from the backyard.

She was taken into a vehicle, which then sped down the street, according to Joyce Culberhouse, her owner.

“We never gave up hope in all of those years, even after people told us to stop looking,” said Culberhouse. “We don’t have any children, so Shawnee was like our daughter.”

During those 44 months, the owner posted flyers around Santa Clarita, on social media and even put up a banner on the overpass of a freeway.

“We tried everything we could possibly do to get her home,” said Culberhouse.

The owners put out an alert for a 200-mile radius using a missing pet database just in case someone found a Shih Tzu. They also sent letters to all 60 shelters in California every month.

On Christmas Eve, Shawnee was found close to home in Sylmar, in the next valley over.

“Someone found her in the streets of Sylmar,” said Culberhouse. “The rescuer took her to a vet as soon as they opened the day after Christmas.”

The vet scanned Shawnee for a microchip and contacted the company to alert them she had been found.

“That microchip is the reason we found her,” said Culberhouse. “I would encourage every pet owner to chip their animals.”

Culberhouse moved from Castaic to Valencia in the over three years Shawnee was missing, but updated their contact information with the microchip company.

After her experience, Culberhouse says it’s important to keep the microchip information up to date because it could be helpful in finding someone’s four-legged best friend.

“We’ll never know where she was these past 44 months or what she went through, but she’s home now,” added Culberhouse. “Safe and loved.”

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