Bertha Rubi's niece found Marley wandering last week at her apartment complex and decided to have him checked out at the Valley Animal Center; where rubi works.
"She brings him in and she says I'm gonna keep it. It's too cute. If nobody claims it. I said, 'well let's scan it to see if it has a microchip,'" said Bertha Rubi.
It turned out Marley does have a microchip, and his owner lives in San Diego.
The owner hopped in the car and drove six hours to Fresno to reclaim the dog she thought she'd never see again
Brianne Thom adopted Marley six years ago from her aunt in Florida. They've been inseparable ever since.
When he disappeared April first, she was desperate to find him. "I put up signs everywhere. Nobody called. He had his collar on, he was microchipped, so I knew if somebody found him -- somebody good would call. Never called, weeks went by, kept putting up fliers, fliers kept getting taken down," said Brianne Thom of San Diego.
No one knows how Marley got to Fresno, but his microchip may have saved his life.
Microchipping is standard procedure at most shelters and veterinary hospitals around the world. A tiny chip with a number on it is injected under the skin between the shoulder blades. No matter where in the world you lose your dog, the chip can bring it home.
"Somebody sold him I guess. I don't know what else could have happened. I know he wouldn't walk! He's too small," said Thom.
No matter how Marley got to Fresno, he's riding home to San Diego right where he belongs -- in Brianne Thom's loving arms.
