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Hana the dog was found in Oakland, she belongs to a family in Tracy. Courtesy: KTVU
Hana the dog was found in Oakland, she belongs to a family in Tracy.
Courtesy: KTVU

OAKLAND (KTVU) –

A Tracy family is celebrating a special homecoming this week; their dog Hana was found almost 50 miles away, three years after going missing.

The family brought Hana, who is a Shiba Inu, to the US from Japan five years ago, according to KTVU. But after just two years with the family in Tracy, Hana went missing. They believed she was stolen.

Then, last Friday, a stray dog was picked up in the Redwood Heights community in Oakland. After being scanned twice, a microchip was found, linking her to the family in Tracy.

“I didn’t know by looking at her if she was injured or what she’s been through over the last three years. It was pretty hard to leave her there,” Ian McNesby, Hana’s owner, told KTVU.

Hana is missing some of her hair and her teeth are not in good shape, according to Oakland Animal Services.

Once she is better and can return home, McNesby says, “we’re going to baby her and spoil her as much as we can. We’re probably going to keep her in the house for a little bit, and kind of hold on to her and play with her.”

Animal Services says this is an example of the system working, and encourage pet owners to get their animals microchipped.