Pet parents know that two very terrifying things can happen with your beloved four-legged family member. The first is when you know that something is wrong with your favorite furry friend and they can’t tell you what is going on. The second one is when they go missing and are nowhere to be found.
Sometimes a missing pet can turn into a death sentence, since those without collars or microchips can end up in shelters or rescues, sometimes getting added to the euthanasia list when there isn’t enough space. Other times, they can get hurt by other animals or else be hit by a car when they’re left unsupervised in the wild.
But one Oklahoma family’s missing dog story had a happy, albeit unbelievable, ending recently when the missing pooch was found more than 1,000 miles away. Yes, you read that right. An Oklahoma woman’s dog ended up in a North Carolina shelter after being missing for around two weeks.
Now, Rio’s story is going viral after Guilford County Animal Services shared a video of their astonishing reunion.
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Rio Was Known for Being an Escape Artist
The animal services group shared Melissa Burris’ story in a caption for the video of the pair’s reunion. “His owner, Melissa, told us Rio had gone missing at the end of July,” the post began. “She’d been checking everywhere for him and said he’s an elaborate escape artist who tends to bolt when he gets scared.”
It seems like Rio did indeed bolt all the way down to North Carolina, even though neither the shelter nor Burris can figure out how he got there. “We’re not sure exactly how he made it all the way to North Carolina, but it’s possible someone found him along the way and never had him scanned for a microchip before he got loose again.”
The Story Quickly Went Viral
Burris and Rio got a lot of attention for their crazy story, and it was picked up by ABC, which interviewed Burris during a Good Morning America segment.
“When I got that call that he had been found, I was just floored,” Burris recalled. “I could not believe he had made it all the way to North Carolina.”
She told the outlet that she quickly hopped on a plane and rushed down to North Carolina to be reunited with her pooch, who she had only just adopted in 2025. After the tail-wagging and hug-filled reunion, Burris says she rented a car to bring Rio back home.
Rio Is Happy to Be Home
It sounds like Rio may have gotten the wanderlust out of his system during the more than 1,000-mile trek, according to Burris, who told Good Morning America that the pup has been very happy since arriving back in Oklahoma.
“He’s been all smiles since he got home,” she said.
Now, she’s using this whole experience to remind fellow pet parents of the importance of microchipping, since it’s unlikely her story would’ve had such a happy ending without one.