'I'm still thinking pinch me': lost puppy reunited with family after five years

After almost five years of searching and never giving up hope, the Tuffin family received the best Christmas gift they could have hoped for: being reunited with their long-lost puppy.

Nova, a bulldog mixed breed, went missing the day after Christmas in 2019 when she was just over one-year-old.

Fast forward to this past November, Nova was found wandering aimlessly on a rural road miles away from her family's home. As of Saturday morning, she's rejoined with her owner, Kristan Tuffin.

"It's like she never left. She hopped up in the truck...licked both the kids and just looked at the ladies from the kennel and said 'see you later!'" Tuffin said, laughing.

Kristan Tuffin shows her long-lost puppy some love, Dec. 21, 2024. (Hannah Schmidt/CTV News)

The beloved dog disappeared from Tuffin’s brother’s home in Hamilton.

“It was terrible because it happened on my birthday,” Tuffin explained to CTV News.

The family put up dozens of flyers, conducted several late night searches and posted across social media but despite their efforts the trail went cold. People would reach out to Tuffin, some with sightings of Nova lookalikes but none of the dogs shown to Tuffin was her lost pet.

“People would send me the picture and I would try and compare mine and I’m like ‘no, it’s just not the same markings,’” said Tuffin. “I would say ‘thank you so much for still looking, but no, that’s not her.’”

The pup was found on Nov. 7 on Windham Road 2, alongside another dog.

“[The person who found them] called us to come pick them up,” said owner of Hillside Kennels Animal Control, Tracey Gibson. “She was definitely taken there. Whether she was stolen or whether someone found her and just took her. It’s highly unlikely that she would have made it all that way.”

As the kennel searched for a rescue suitable to take Nova in, Tuffin’s original missing poster was shared with Hillside, revealing that Nova was never a stray and had a family waiting for her all along.

“We looked at this post and we looked at her face and… the markings were identical,” said Gibson.

Nearly half a decade of searching later, Nova is finally back in the arms of her family, all thanks to community efforts.

“Sharing helps. If nobody shared that post that was seen [by the kennel], I wouldn’t have her right now,” said Tuffin.

Tuffin says being reunited with her furry companion is the best gift this holiday season.

“This is like ‘pinch me somebody.’ I’m still [thinking] ‘pinch me,’” said Tuffin.

Now, Nova’s family has one last Christmas wish for her, to have the best sleep she’s had in a while.