Mystery surrounds missing pooch’s lost years — as he finally returns home
When beloved Shih Tzu, Baymax, escaped from his backyard in 2017, his owners refused to give up hope he’d one day return. Now, the family’s finally been reunited — and left wondering where their pup’s spent the past two years.
VIC News
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A beloved pet pooch has miraculously returned home in an emotional reunion, more than two years after escaping from his owners’ backyard.
Baymax, a five-year-old Maltese Shih Tzu, ran out the gate of his Deer Park home in late 2017, and left his family heartbroken.
They searched high and low for the four-legged family member, but were left deflated when he didn’t turn up.
Owner Peter Phethalankham said his heart sank when he realised he would have to tell son Chace, then three, Baymax wasn’t coming home.
He said the pair had grown up together, having brought the pup home when Chace was a baby.
“We bought Baymax shortly after my son was born,” Mr Phethalankham said.
“Sometimes he (Chace) would ask about him.
“He was named after a cartoon character — from Big Hero Six — and he (Chace) would watch that and ask where Baymax is.”
Mr Phethalankham said he searched their neighbourhood for weeks, after work or early in the morning.
He also put flyers at the local IGA and posted to a number of social media groups.
But despite no news or sightings of the pup, the family held out hope — even keeping a hold of Baymax’s toys and bed in case he bounded through the door.
“I still had everything,” Mr Phethalankham said. “I just didn’t want to get rid of it all.”
“I didn't want to get a new pet because of what had happened.
“I wouldn’t say I was hopeful but I was hoping that he wasn’t dead. I was hoping someone was taking care of him.”
And while the odds of a reunion were very much stacked against the family’s favour, this only made for an even sweeter happy ending when it came to be two Sundays ago.
Mr Phethalankham said Chace, who is now five, was overcome with “unbelievable” joy after receiving the call which revealed Baymax had been found.
“My son straight away was just happy and pretty overjoyed,” he said.
“ (Baymax) was pretty glued onto me. He didn’t respond to his name straight off the bat – that took two or three days for him to bounce back.
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“It was just really good, joyful.”
The reunion came after an “ambulance” from the Lost Dogs’ Home collected Baymax from the streets of Werribee, checked his microchip and called his very grateful owners.
Mr Phethalankham said another family likely picked up the lost pooch and called him their own since 2017, but this remains unproven.
And while he’s grateful Baymax is safe and well, he urged people who find lost or stray animals to report them in case they have a worried family waiting elsewhere.
A spokeswoman for the Lost Dogs’ Home said it was a timely reminder for pet-owners to microchip their fury friends.
The Lost Dogs’ Home reunite an average of 7000 owners with pets each year.