NORFOLK, Va. — A Virginia sailor assigned to the USS Harry S. Truman who returned from a nearly eight-month deployment to find that his dog had been given away has been reunited with the Golden Retriever.
A family member was watching Paulo Silva's dog, Archie, while he was on deployment. That family member then called Silva to tell him that they had given Archie away because Archie had "become too rambunctious."
Silva previously told WTKR that he was in contact with a nonprofit and attorneys who were willing to help him get Archie back. But on Tuesday, Silva posted on Facebook that he had been reunited with Archie:
Silva gave thanks to everyone who supported his search effort. He also mentioned that he connected the family who had Archie with a breeder to donate a golden retriever puppy to them. According to the post, the breeder specializes in training dogs for families with special needs.
Silva emphasized that he does not want people harassing the family that had Archie.
"It’s important that we move forward with kindness, understanding, and respect. The family is not at fault, and I believe we can all agree that it’s time to put this chapter behind us for the sake of everyone involved, especially Archie," he wrote.
The sailor also thanked the couple for taking such good care of his pup.
"Thank you both for loving Archie as your own," he wrote. "I will always be grateful for that. I will never stop showing you guys my love and support."
