Dexter is reunited with owner Shyanna Morgan of Cleveland at the Tuscarawas County Dog Pound. He was found this week at an abandoned house in Dover two months after going missing from Clay's Park in North Lawrence. (Tuscarawas County Dog Warden)

NEW PHILADELPHIA (Tusco TV) - The Tuscarawas County Dog Warden’s Office is showcasing a heartwarming reunion between a dog missing for more than two months and its owner to remind people about the importance of microchipping. 

Assistant Dog Warden Ken Griffith says a terrier named Dexter who went missing June 13th from Clay’s Park in North Lawrence turned up this week at an abandoned house in Dover. He says it appears the dog had traveled for more than 30 miles before taking shelter inside the house located off of East Front Street near the Canal Park boat ramp.

"The last sighting they had of him was the Knights of Columbus in Massillon right off of 21, and then somebody, later on, about a couple weeks ago had spotted the dog along the Towpath Trail, and he called here but nobody could get near it. We’re assuming he just followed the Towpath and then maybe down the river and then just kind of took up residence in that old house," he says. 

Griffin says they posted the dog’s photo on their Facebook page after discovering his microchip was registered to a disconnected phone number.  The owner saw the post and came down to claim him later that afternoon, and Griffith says it was a joyful reunion.  

"The daughter came after work down here and when she called his name, obviously he got real excited and started crying and of course the end result was the picture that we posted. He wouldn’t leave her lap," he says.  

Griffith says they’re highlighting this story to remind pet owners to have their pets properly licensed and microchipped and to make sure their registration information is up to date to help their lost pets get back home faster. 

TUSCO TV