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Mom sees missing teen son on TV reuniting with his dog at a shelter

The 17-year-old surrendered his puppy Jada to an animal shelter in Senatobia, Mississippi on April 5 because he was homeless and couldn't care for her, a charity said.

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A mom claims to have spotted her runaway teen son one year after he was reported missing when she saw him on TV picking up his dog from a rescue shelter. (Kris Robinson / Senatobia Animal Shelter via SWNS)

By Fiona Jackson via SWNS

A mom spotted her runaway teen son one year after he was reported missing when she saw him on TV picking up his dog from a rescue shelter.

The 17-year-old surrendered his puppy Jada to an animal shelter in Senatobia, Mississippi on April 5 because he was homeless and couldn't care for her, a charity said.

However three days later they were reunited after shelter staff and police helped the boy, who has not been identified, find a place to stay that could accommodate both him and Jada.

Kris Robinson, interim shelter director at the Senatobia-Tate County Animal Shelter, said: "When he came to see his pup, it was pretty moving.

"She ran to him and he scooped her up and she kissed his face. He held onto her for a while.

"This boy, still a child really, did more for his dog than many adults do.

"People out here think nothing of dumping their dog or an unwanted litter of puppies when they move or no longer can care for them, and this boy made sure she was taken care of.

"Shelters are over crowded and full of heart broken dogs and they cant always take every dog in, I wish more people would be like this young man."

A mom claims to have spotted her runaway teen son one year after he was reported missing when she saw him on TV picking up his dog from a rescue shelter. (Kris Robinson / Senatobia Animal Shelter via SWNS)
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The boy's mom saw the story on the news, and contacted the channel to let them know that she had not heard from him since she reported him missing last summer.

The boy had been living under a bridge, and had left his dog in a tent while he went out to look for work, but she broke free, it is understood.

When he arrived at Senatobia Animal Shelter to surrender Jada, he said he no longer had the tent and couldn't feed the dog.

Kris said: "I was very surprised, and then sad.

"He was quiet and respectful and never asked for anything for himself, he just wanted to make sure she was taken care of."

The shelter posted the boy's story on their Facebook page with some photos, and officers from Senatobia Police connected him to a family who could look after him and his pup.

The teenager was then reconnected with Jada in an emotional reunion three days later captured on local TV news, which was seen by his mom.

Detective Brannon Rushing from Senatobia Police Department said it was a court order that placed the teen with a local family rather than his alleged mother.

Detective Rushing said: "The juvenile was reported missing on April 27, 2021 and was entered as a missing person.

"An investigation followed until the leads went cold, and that is where it remained until the Facebook post was made by the Senatobia-Tate County Animal Shelter.

"This new information sparked a new search and subsequently the juvenile has been located safely and has been placed with a local family pursuant a court order."

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