Tragic turn of events: Old dog missing for two years in the outback of South Australia finally back home

An elderly dog ​​who went missing nearly two years ago has had an emotional reunion with her owners after being found more than 300 kilometers from home.

Heather Coombes and Guy Frantzen searched for months for their “fur baby” Lolly when the Maltese mix escaped through an open gate of their Adelaide home in December 2022.

Eventually they gave up hope of finding Lolly – she was 16 at the time and showing signs of dementia – and assumed she was dead.

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But last week a vet called the couple to say Lolly had been found north of Port Augusta, more than 300 kilometres from their home, and identified by her microchip.

Lolly looked a little worse for wear and lived to a remarkable age of 18. She was reunited with Coombes and Frantzen on Wednesday.

“I'm very emotional and very sad about how she looks – she's very, very thin, very fragile – but she's back home in time for her 18th birthday,” Coombes said.

Coombes said Lolly was wagging her tail to indicate she was home.

“She usually makes a funny little noise, like a cat purring, and that's what she did when I held her,” Coombes said.

Coombes has owned Lolly since she was a puppy and said the dog has been part of her family.

“She gets Christmas presents, Christmas cards, she is totally spoiled. She means everything to us,” she said.

But on Thursday afternoon – just one day after Lolly returned home – she died surrounded by her family.

Coombes is convinced that her beloved “baby” held on until her last breath to be with her loved ones.

She is grateful that she was able to be with her beloved pet at the end of its life and said it is a lesson for all animal lovers to have their animals microchipped in case they ever get lost.