This Beautiful Reunion Was 2 Terrible Years In The Making

There wasn't much to recognize about the little dog found in a locked box beside a dumpster. Just symptoms of chronic neglect.

"He was in extremely rough shape," Alix John of the Washington Humane Society tells The Dodo. "His coat was filled with urine and feces. His nails were so long they were curled back beneath the pads of his paws."

Indeed, to the point where the tiny Shih Tzu had trouble walking.

Washington Humane Society

Washington Humane Society

Whoever left him there had no use for him whatsoever. Which makes it all the more brutally bizarre that this dog was stolen from his owner in Miami two years ago.

But he once had a name. It was Polo. And somewhere under the tangle of torture and neglect, there was a microchip.

Which means he once had love.

Washington Humane Society

Washington Humane Society

It didn't take long for the Washington Humane Society, who rescued the dog, to track his owner, Jason St-Fluer.

St-Fluer drove to Washington from New York City, where he lives now. All of a sudden, this dog once again had a name - to go along with all the love in the world.

Washington Humane Society

Washington Humane Society

"This is just unbelievable," St-Fluer told the Humane Society. "It's something you see on CNN."

Staff at the Washington Humane Society are investigating the incident, and reaching out to the community for help to help piece together how Polo was taken.

But the most essential piece of Polo's story turned out to be a tiny tag planted between her shoulder blades.

Washington Humane Society

Washington Humane Society

You can read all about microchips here. And, when you're ready to give your pet a forever ID, get in touch with your local vet.