Milwaukee family gets 'a miracle' when its beloved dog returns home after five years

Claire Reid, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
·5 min read
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Leola Voegtline takes a selfie on Oct. 20 with her dog, Marley, who had been missing for 1,872 days.
Leola Voegtline takes a selfie on Oct. 20 with her dog, Marley, who had been missing for 1,872 days.

After 1,872 days, one Milwaukee woman's beloved furry family member has finally returned home.

Marley, a now-11-year-old poodle, ran away from his owner Leola Voegtline's home in early September 2018, when he was 6.

After Voegtline's daughter spotted Marley walking in a nearby park with an unknown man this June, after five years away from home, Marley began his journey back to the family that's loved him since he was 3 months old.

"Finding Marley was a miracle; it was life changing," Voegtline said. "We just couldn't believe we have him back in our lives."

One-year-old Marley lounges at home. The Voegtline family adopted Marley in 2012 when he was three months old.
One-year-old Marley lounges at home. The Voegtline family adopted Marley in 2012 when he was three months old.

The Voegtline family adopted Marley from Craigslist in 2012 when he was a puppy. Weeks before, their 8-year-old pug Sadie died from cancer. Voegtline's daughter, who was 17 at the time, became really depressed, her mother recalled.

"So, I decided to buy her another puppy," Voegtline said. "I bought Marley for $300, and my daughter was happy again after months. Marley filled the place in her heart that she had from our previous dog."

Marley proved to be an easy-going and comforting companion right away.

"He comes and licks the tears off your face if you're sad, if you're lonely. He loves to sit on your lap, he loves playing with a tennis ball," she said. "He's very nice and friendly, very energetic. He loved running around with his brother and sister dog he had at the time."

Marley is pictured with owner Leola Voegtline when he was 5 years old. He went missing in September 2018, when he was 6 and was reunited with his family on Oct. 20, 2023.
Marley is pictured with owner Leola Voegtline when he was 5 years old. He went missing in September 2018, when he was 6 and was reunited with his family on Oct. 20, 2023.

The day Marley ran away

But a major wrench was thrown in these good times when Marley went missing on Sept. 4, 2018. He ran away while Voegtline's husband, John, was doing yard work.

The family's two other dogs were in the house, and John had left the backyard gate open so he didn't have to repeatedly open it as he went back and forth between the front yard and getting bags of stones from the backyard shed.

When John finished his yard work, it was feeding time for the dogs, but Marley did not come when called. John asked Voegtline if she knew where Marley was, but she did not.

"We looked around the house. We panicked," she recalled.

Almost immediately, Voegtline's daughter, son-in-law and grandson came over, and the family began frantically searching for Marley. When they couldn't find him, Voegtline took to numerous internet sites and community resources.

She posted Marley's profile on the Lost Dogs of Wisconsin website and Facebook page and on FidoFinder.com. The day after Marley ran away, the Voegtlines handed out flyers door-to-door at vets, groomers and other businesses throughout Milwaukee.

"We went to MADACC (Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission); we looked at their dogs every day for like four or five days," Voegtline said. "We checked their website every day. We looked at the humane society website every day. We looked around every time we were driving down the street. I put Marley all over my Twitter and Facebook."

Still, Marley was nowhere to be found.

But that changed on June 1 this year.

Leola Voegtline's daughter took this photo of Marley on June 1, 2023, when she spotted him on the street being walked by an unknown man whose son found the dog years earlier.
Leola Voegtline's daughter took this photo of Marley on June 1, 2023, when she spotted him on the street being walked by an unknown man whose son found the dog years earlier.

After five years, Marley and the Voegtlines were reunited

"My daughter and oldest grandson were doing a teacher meet-and-greet at a park, and as my daughter was leaving the park, she saw a little white dog across the street with a guy," Voegtline said. "The dog was looking at her, wagging his tail, and she said to her husband, 'That looks like Marley over there.'"

Voegtline's daughter walked across the street and called Marley's name. He immediately came toward her, jumping on her and licking her, Voegtline said.

"Where did you find this dog?" Voegtline said her daughter asked the man.

"My son found this dog on 92nd and Oklahoma years ago and brought him to me," Voegtline said he replied. The man pulled Marley and insisted "Marley" was not the dog's name.

Voegtline's daughter left that day without Marley, but she'd taken photos and videos of him and let her mother know where to find him.

Leola and John Voegtline soon began passing out flyers in the neighborhood where their daughter had seen Marley, and, with help from the community, found out where Marley was living.

"I figured out where he lived on June 14. I called the police, and the police went to talk to the (man who found Marley), but he didn't want to give up the dog," Voegtline said. "So, the police suggested we file in small claims court."

After a small court battle, Marley was returned to the Voegtlines on Oct. 20.

Marley, who was recently reunited with his owners after over five years, is now 11 years old. He suffers from cataracts and dental issues.
Marley, who was recently reunited with his owners after over five years, is now 11 years old. He suffers from cataracts and dental issues.

Marley settles in back home, owner has advice for others

Despite what Voegtline calls a "magical" and "miraculous" reunion, Marley returned home with some health issues ― extensive dental damage and multiple cataracts that have rendered him completely blind in one eye and nearly blind in the other.

The Voegtlines have set up a GoFundMe to fund Marley's medical care. You can donate here: Fundraiser by Leola Voegtline: Marley's Medical Bills.

After going through this situation, Voegtline said she recommends other dog owners get their pets microchipped and take lots of photos of them. Both would've helped shorten the time between when Voegtline's daughter found Marley and when he got to finally return home.

"How did it affect us losing him? Sleepless nights. Worrying if someone had him, if he got hit by a car, if a coyote had him," Voegtline recalled. "But we never gave up hope. We never gave up searching for him because we had a gut feeling that he was still out there."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee family's beloved dog returns home after five years