Volunteers help reunite dog with owner in Goodyear

GOODYEAR, AZ - A dog and its owner were reunited in Goodyear after the two became separated earlier this year and ended up thousands of miles apart.

After five long months, Jim Cryst and Heidi, his German Shorthair Pointer, are back together once again.

Near his home in Black Canyon City, Cryst lost track of Heidi one day while out on a walk in late March.

"All of a sudden, ten days ago, I get this message and they tell me they found Heidi," said Cryst.

Cryst would soon learn a woman discovered Heidi along Interstate 17 then moved the dog to Pennsylvania.

However, the dog's new owner quickly realized she couldn't handle Heidi.

"She turned it into a German Shorthair rescue, which was the smartest thing that was done," said Cryst.

The rescue group scanned Heidi and through a microchip determined she belonged to Cryst.

Volunteers from the organization Pilots N Paws agreed to fly Heidi back to Arizona.

"This is great," said Bill Rademacher with Pilots N Paws. "This is one of the best flights I've had getting to bring this dog home."

Cryst is happy to have his dog back home, safe and sound.