Family pet returns home after being missing for 8 years

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Jasper, a 12-year old Australian shepherd mix, is now home after he went missing nearly eight years ago in Monroe, Louisiana.

The Hendrys were shocked to hear the news over the weekend that their beloved dog Jasper was alive and in Houston since he had been missing for almost a decade.

During those eight years, Jasper was cared for by another Louisiana family who ended up moving to Houston and brought him to the Houston SPCA over the weekend.

As part of the admission process, the Houston SPCA scanned Jasper for a microchip and immediately contacted the Hendrys after his microchip revealed their contact information.

"It's so great there is a place where animals can be taken in and have their microchipped scanned," Tiffany Hendry said.

The family intentionally had Jasper microchipped, after the first dog they adopted went missing.

The Hendry family said now that Jasper is home again, he is enjoying a 50-acre ranch with a host of other pets and farm animals.

The Houston SPCA wants this incident to serve as a reminder to all pet owners on how effective microchipping is and to ensure their pets wear collars with updated tags as well.