ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) – It’s a story you have to see to believe. Some may even call it a miracle.
On New Year’s Eve, 2020, a dog named Bella went missing in a suburb North of Houston, Texas.
Bella lived in a fenced in backyard, wore her ID tag and collar proudly, but was suddenly gone following a rainy and cold night in Houston. When her family discovered she was missing, they put up flyers, signs, went door-to-door, but eventually lost hope as time went on.
December 2025 marked five years since Bella went missing from her loving home. That was until one single phone call turned her family from hopeless to pure shock.
“Bella was brought to Winnebago County Animal Services like thousands of pets a year as a stray,” said Amber Pinnon, the adoption and volunteer coordinator at Winnebago County Animal Services (WCAS).
But Bella is no stray. Somehow, Bella made her way from the Lone Star State to the Prairie State, a more than 1,000-mile difference between the two. Bella is not a big dog either; she is a small chihuahua.
Dog missing for 5 years found in Rockford, reunited with family in Texas(WIFR)
WCAS, along with Care for Pets, successfully discovered Bella was from Houston through her microchip. They say without the microchip, Bella may have never found her way home.
“We do find that there are lots of chips that aren’t unregistered or chips where, unfortunately, the owners haven’t updated that chip. We are tracing microchips quite often; however, the scope of this one is more large than normal,” Pinnon explained.
It was a very emotional moment for Bella’s family upon receiving the phone call — a phone call they never expected.
“I think he was more like, ‘Is this a scam? What’s going on? Are you sure this is it?’ and I think he was having a hard time grasping ‘Is this real?’” said Stephanie Hicks, the executive director at Care for Pets.
Because of many difficulties, Bella’s family was unable to retrieve their fur baby all the way in northern Illinois. WCAS decided to throw out a Hail Mary to Care for Pets to see if their village of volunteers could reunite the family.
With the power of community, Winnebago County Animal Services and Care for Pets was able to raise enough funds to get Bella back in the arms of her owners. They also found a volunteer to fly Bella back home.
“We had a volunteer step up, who said I’ll fly same day out to Houston and fly back the same day, so she’s leaving her own dog and family behind and making the trip,” Hicks explained.
As of January 3, 2026, Bella is home, safe and sound.
Dog missing for 5 years found in Rockford, reunited with family in Texas(WIFR)
“It was a very emotional moment for everybody. Even when she first saw me, you can tell she still recognized me a little,” said Sergio Torres, the father of Bella. “She was really attached to my oldest son, and when she saw my oldest son, she was reaching out her paw and everything. It was a heartwarming moment for us.”
You can watch the full interview with Sergio and Bella below:
Missing dog found in Rockford returns to family in Texas
While experts say it’s hard to explain how Bella made her way from Houston to Rockford, the family is just happy to have their furry family member back home.
WCAS and Care for Pets say this story is a clear example of why you should get your furry friends microchipped.
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