Man reunited with long-lost dog in Nash County

Onlookers insisted he receive medical attention and said they'd call animal control to look after his dog.

Two hours later, when Rewalt was ready to retrieve his dog, Maggie was gone.

“I went over to the dog rescue and he told me their story and he said, “But we don’t know where she is,” Rewalt said..

Rewalt searched for Maggie, posted flyers but eventually had to continue on toward Maryland.

As Maggie roamed the woods off U.S. Highway 64, Donna Ritterpusch set out food and kept a close eye on the dog with her two night vision cameras.

“We tried trapping her, camouflaged it all sorts of ways,” Ritterpusch said. “Steak bones, but she outsmarted it. I have her on the camera circling it.

Eventually Maggie became comfortable enough with a family’s dog, which prompted Rewalt to make the drive down and try his luck on May 25, 2016.

Maggie was checked out at the veterinarian and has a clean bill of health.

Ritterpusch said it's a bittersweet situation as she'll miss the dog she took care of in the woods for three years.

“One of my coworkers asked me how it feels when you drive around and look at the woods,” Ritterpusch said. “I said the woods don’t feel the same.”