Lost dog with terminal cancer reunites with owner, also diagnosed with cancer

PAWLEYS ISLAND, SC (WMBF) - A  South Carolina family is overjoyed after their dog, who has been missing for weeks,  is returned to them.  This kind of reunion is rare, given that the dog, Katelyn, is old, has cancer and was in a shelter where she could have easily been euthanized.

A heartwarming reunion...that some say could only have happened because of fate. A dog with only weeks left to live was given back to her family to spend the rest of her days on this earth with the ones who love her.

But it was just weeks ago that she ended up in a dog's worst nightmare: a high-kill shelter across the state.

Anticipation filled the room as Katelyn made her entrance. Greeted with tears of joy, this sweet girl was back in the arms of her family Tuesday.

"Want to come home?" her family said to an excited Katelyn. From the wag of her tail and the look in her eyes, you can see she feels right at home with the ones who love her.

Katelyn has traveled hundreds of miles across the state, and was taken to a high-kill shelter by someone in Chester County after she ran away from home. At that point, her fate seemed to be every dog's worst nightmare. At 10 years old and with a terminal illness, euthanasia could have been her end.

But that's where All 4 Paws Animal Rescue stepped in.

"It's very rare that we actually get to reunite owners with their beloved family members," said Shannon Prouty with All 4 Paws.

By bringing Katelyn to Pawleys Island, Hannah and Andy Kloch gave her a home and attention for the few weeks she was expected to have left in life. Until someone reached out to them on Facebook, saying they knew where Katelyn belonged.

"I know it feels great to them to know she was cared for in the  meantime while they didn't have her and now she gets to go back home," the Klochs said. "I think if this were our dog and I got to see her or him for the first time, I'd probably cry like a baby."

There was no lack of tears that day, and no lack of kisses.

This good news couldn't have come at a better time for Katelyn's owner Cyndy Adkins. While Katelyn was diagnosed with terminal cancer, her owner is also in a battle of her own with breast cancer.

"I just said I know what you're going through pup, it's just comforting to have her with us, and we'll be with her until the end now," Atkins said. "We're not letting her go."

Katelyn wasn't going to let them leave her behind - as soon as she secured her spot in the family mini-van, she did not move.

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