Woman Reunited With Lost Black Lab After 3 Years; 'I Just Lost It. I Just Started Crying'

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A Michigan family got their lost pet back after a three-year separation. Debra Mejeur was reunited with her dog, Lola, on Saturday.

The black lab wandered away in October 2017, when the family was visiting friends in Elk Grove Village.

A Glendale Heights resident found Lola earlier this week, and took her to DuPage County Animal Services. Lola's microchip led them to her owner.

Mejeur got a text message on Thursday, saying it was about Lola, but she ignored it, thinking it was just from a pet club she had signed up for before Lola ran away. Then she got a voice mail that Lola had been found, so she called DuPage County Animal Services.

"I said, 'By chance do you have a female black lab named Lola here?' And they responded with 'Are you Debra?'" Mejeur said. "I just lost it. I just started crying, because this proved to me that it was her."

Mejeur said she searched for Lola for a month before giving up hope of ever seeing her beloved dog again.

Animal Services Committee Chairman Brian Krajewski said this story underscores the importance of microchipping pets.

"It's extremely important to microchip your animal. If someone comes across a stray and brings them to us, we can scan them and reunite them with the family. If you don't microchip, it's a lot more difficult," Krajewski said.

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• DuPage County