More than a decade on from rescuing a dog in the middle of a snowstorm, a man was stunned to learn that she’d wound up in a shelter in an entirely different state. Needless to say, he didn’t hesitate before going to her rescue once again.
On January 7, 2014, Aaron Foster couldn’t believe his eyes when he found a lost dog in the middle of a Colorado snowstorm. He instantly took the dog in and gave her the care she needed, as he told Newsweek that she seemed “cold and very timid.” It took a while to win her trust and get her inside, but eventually, all she wanted was to snuggle.
Foster, 53, took the dog, named Sadie, to get checked over by a vet. She was believed to be a 1-year-old German shorthaired pointer, which made sense given her endless energy levels.
As much as he loved her company, Foster, who resides in Reno, Nevada, knew he couldn’t keep Sadie permanently. He was traveling and was about to spend a year on the move, but what she needed was a stable home.
“She had so much energy, it was almost impossible to wear her out, but she was also VERY sweet and a bit needy in the beginning,” Foster said.
“She was then adopted as I already had plans to leave Boulder and was going to be doing a ton of traveling, so I knew from day one I wouldn’t be able to keep her. I just wanted to find the best home possible for her.”
Sadie was ultimately taken to a rescue center in Arizona, and she was adopted later in 2014.
Of course, Foster thought about Sadie all the time in the years since. He adopted a dog named Bodie in 2019, but he often wondered what happened to Sadie.
To his amazement, that answer came on January 7, 2026—12 years to the day he first rescued her. Foster received a call from Animal Foundation in Las Vegas, telling him they had his dog.
“I said, no you don’t, he is right here,” Foster continued. “As soon as they said her name, I was really overwhelmed. After I explained that she had been adopted 12 years before, I was conflicted. I would hate her family to miss her, but the fact that she was on the street with no collar or tags (and the chip info was never updated), meant something had clearly gone wrong and I felt like maybe I had let her down and obligated to help her.”
Foster instantly made the journey to the rescue in order to save Sadie once again. It was such an extraordinary turn of events and Foster couldn’t resist sharing it on TikTok (@aaroncharlesfoster).
At the time, Foster believed it was 11 years since he found her. But after looking back at old photos, he soon realized it was actually 12 years. The caption alongside the clip reads: “I’m on my way, sweet girl.”
Needless to say, internet users hailed Foster for saving the dog not once, but twice. He even shared an adorable video of the moment they reunited all these years later.
Foster is doing everything he can to keep Sadie for good and to make her twilight years some of the best of her life. His parents have also offered to take on dog sitting duties (as they already look after Bodie when he’s away).
He told Newsweek: “The drive home from Vegas was tough, she didn’t seem to enjoy being in the car, or maybe it was just general nerves. I don’t know if she remembered me, but she warmed up very quickly and settled in at my house with Bodie very quickly.
“I want to give her the best last years of her life possible. I don’t know how she ended up as a stray, I just hope whatever went wrong happened a lot closer to the day she ended up in the shelter than the day she was adopted. She’s in good health and has clearly been well taken care of. Of that I am so grateful.”
The online response to Sadie’s rescue journey has melted plenty of hearts across the internet. Foster has been overwhelmed by all the supportive messages he’s received so far. He just hopes this will serve as an important reminder for people to get their pets microchipped and keep the contact information up to date.
Social media users have been so touched by Sadie’s remarkable story, as many took to the comments to share their reactions. This has led to more than 1,000 comments on the viral TikTok video in just a matter of days.
One comment reads: “The invisible string theory.”
Another TikTok user said: “you were there at the beginning, and now the end…beautiful.”
While another person replied: “This made me tear up, she left her paw print on your heart.”
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