Man reunited with his dog after 10 years

NASHUA, N.H. (WHDH) -- A reunion ten years in the making was well worth the wait for a man, and his best friend.

“She walked right up and started licking me on the cheek,” said Jamie Carpentier.

Jamie Carpentier had been separated from his beloved Basset Hound, Ginger, since he got divorced a decade ago. He never expected to have his buddy back -- but fate works in strange ways.

“I kind of was hesitant [when I saw her] like, is it really her?” Carpentier said.

Carpentier had been looking for a new puppy. He went on the website for the Humane Society of Greater Nashua and read a description for an older dog that sounded a lot like his old pal.

“The colors. The colors and the name. This is the original name from when I had her,” said Carpentier.

Years ago, Carpentier's ex-wife delivered Ginger to the Humane Society when she could no longer care for the dog. Ginger had a long-time home with an older couple who recently had to bring her back to the Humane Society where Carpentier stumbled upon her in his well-timed search for a puppy.

“When Jamie bent down and talked to her, she licked his cheeks. It was like the waterworks,” said Noelle Schuyler, Humane Society of Greater Nashua.

At 13, Ginger is an old dog -- but according to her old friend, she's still up to the same old tricks.

“Once I saw her, I was like, it's her she's got the pep. She's ready to go,” said Carpentier.

The Humane Society says it has reunited pets with their owners before, usually after a matter of days or even as much as week. But a decade seems to be a record.