Mystery Of Missing Pooch Solved, Dog & Owner Reunited

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A happy reunion took place Wednesday evening between a lost dog and his extremely worried owner. After CBS4 aired the story about Skyler the dog Wednesday afternoon, Justin Nunez called the owner, Ken Hendel, to say he has Skyler.

Nunez told Hendel he thought he was rescuing the dog when he spotted it outside Gallery Art in Aventura, which is owned by Hendel.

Security video shows Skyler, a small, black and white rat terrier, slipping out of the store as a customer opened the front door Monday afternoon a little after 5 p.m. On the video, a young man picks the dog up outside. After a few minutes, he meets with a woman and a youngster. The man, woman, child, and dog then leave in a silver Toyota sedan.

"I was shopping with my family. I saw an old dog walking around. He looked confused. I saw a lady who said 'Whose dog is this?' I don't know," explained Nunez. "I went up to the dog. Someone came out of a store and said they saw the dog walking around yesterday. I thought the worst, I thought someone had abandoned the dog. I thought the dog was lost. It had no collar or identification. I'm a dog lover. I volunteer at the Humane Society so I picked up the dog and took him home. I was going to take him to the Humane Society the next day."

But the Humane Society wasn't taking any dogs so Nunez posted on Facebook.

"I thought nobody was going to claim this dog but through Facebook, someone sent me a message and through the power of Facebook, they found the owner," Nunez explained.

Hendel has owned Skyler for 18 years and has been distraught since his disappearance.

Skyler wears a pacemaker, is half deaf, half blind and arthritic.

Hendel went from distraught to ecstatic about the return of his precious pooch.

"Oh my god, it's better than sex that's all I can tell you," said Hendel. "I can't thank Justin enough for being the kind-hearted soul that I was hoping and wishing," he said.

"It is an amazing feeling. Skyler and I will sleep like babies for the first night in 3 nights."

There was a $2,500 reward being offered for Skyler's return.

Hendel says he will pay the reward and said Nunez told him he will donate the money to charity.