Missing Dog Found In South Jersey Set to Reunite with Family After 2 Years

For an animal lover like me, this Daily Dose of Good story really brings out all the feels, and shines some SERIOUS light on this dreary hump day. 

Five-year-old Cali, a Rhodesian Ridgeback, went missing from her Long Island home in 2015.

Owner, Brittney DiBartolo and her family searched everywhere, for almost a year, in search of their pet, until life circumstances lead the family to move to North Carolina in 2016.

"It was kind of hard to leave New York and not have Cali with us," DiBartolo said.  "I assumed someone picked her up and kept her because she was such a good dog."

But two years after Cali's disappearance, DiBartolo got a call that she never imagined.

Cali was found at a local rest stop in South Jersey , where a family friend of the President of Broken Promises Sanctuary, stood amongst a crowd of people trying to help the emaciated dog, who was visibly not doing so well.

Once the Broken Promises Sanctuary received the call, and got there to rescue Cali, they noticed she could barely walk, she was half the weight that her breed is supposed to be, she wouldn't drink the water that the gas station attendant tried to give her, and blood dripped from her nose.

In which case, something was obviously wrong so volunteers set out to bring her back to life. Many treatments and tests, such as a CT scan, showed Cali had developed cancer. Veterinarians initially gave her weeks to live.

But amongst those tests, the Sanctuary was able to find a microchip that linked Cali to her name, and a phone number to Brittney DiBartolo.

"There's no way you found Cali," DiBartolo recalled saying while sobbing uncontrollably. "We were at the point of thinking she wasn’t around anymore."

After three days of treatment from Veterinary CyberKnife Cancer Center, Cali returned to Broken Promises Sanctuary with a prognosis now of a year to 18 months. Cali's tumors are shrinking. She has gained 25 pounds, and Cali's personality has returned

The tentative date to reunite Cali with the DiBartolos is June, depending on her health.

DiBartolo said she and her husband were trying to figure out ways to finance Cali's care — with loans against their business or help from family — when Broken Promises said they would cover the costs.

"This was worth every penny," Goldman said.

You can help Cali return home, and help the Broken Promises Sanctuary fund Cali's treatments, by donating to their Go Fund Me Page!

If you know someone who is out there doing a little extra dose of good for someone like the Broken Promises Sanctuary has done for this family and fur baby, send us a message with your story to our Facebook Page!

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