Do you have any family that he knows that can go get him? I agree with KiminMD-there are for sure people here who would volunteer to transport him if you needed.
The elderly lady doesn't have any history with him, YOU DO! I can't imagine that coming home to you, who he WILL REMEMBER, could bring him any more pain. He can't reason cause and effect-he won't blame you. He will just be overjoyed at coming home. I am in tears thinking about how you missed out on 5 years of his life, but what you can do now is give him your love and allow him time to heal. He will probably be different because of experiences that you will never know about, and he may never be exactly the same again, but he will know your love again, and you will know his. He will probably be as disbelieving as you at first, to be back with his people, and may take a bit to warm back up-he may not jump right into your arms; but he also might! Just think if he does that high pitched "where have you been, I've missed you" squeal...
Good luck and keep us posted! I love a happy ending...:D

I think IF he were happy where he is he would not look soooo sad in the pic. That pic does not look like a dog relaxing or just having a moment or a bad day, he's deff sad. Some dogs never get over the loss of their first person & to me, that's what he looks like he's going through. I believe it would be in both your best interest to go see him & see how he responds to you. I'm betting he's not forgotten you & is mourning the loss of you & has been for the past 5 yrs. One things for sure, he'll let you know when you go see him. I feel that you should not put this off till after Christmas as the lady he's with needs to know if he's staying or going as she's hurting over this as well.

I'm so glad your beloved Yoshi has been found after all this time.
I agree with everyone about him remembering you, his look of sadness could be his mourning for you. As for the elderly lady she has surely only just found him and without seeing her you can't be sure if she is spritly or enfirm so she may not been his forever owner and that could lead to him going from home to home in the future.
I wish you luck in finding some way of getting to him soon. :animal-pa

Did Yoshi know any of the 6 furbabies that you now have??

I think wherever he's at, it's going to take some time for him to adjust. Caesar Milan always talks about the power of the pack and how it helps in rehabilitating dogs, so maybe your pack will help rehabilitate Yoshi. Maybe he will see that your other dogs aren't scared and it's ok for him to relax. It's definitely something to think about, but it's a bridge you'll have to cross when you get him back. People take foster dogs into their packs all of the time and find a way to integrate them.

Ultimately, maybe Yoshi will end up doing better in a single dog home...but at least if you go get him, you tried, and you will have a choice in where Yoshi ends up. You'll be able to pick the family for him. Maybe he could go back with that elderly lady if it doesn't work out with you...but at least YOU will be able to check her out and place him there because you know it's a good home, instead of it just being where he happened to end up. I think you'll be able to sleep better at night, knowing that you placed him somewhere safe...instead of wondering what his life is like in some strangers home.

If you can't go get him...maybe transport can be arranged...or maybe a family member could take him...or maybe a fellow YTer would be willing to foster him until transportation can be arranged.

You've been talking to this elderly lady, so you have a better feel of her than any of us do...but I would be worried about leaving my little guy there for a few months. What happens when/if she gets more attached to him and decides she doesn't want to give him back. I'd hope that she wouldn't do that...but on the other hand, I'd hope that someone wouldn't have taken him in the first place. What happens if she lets him out and he runs away?? God forbid, what happens to Yoshi if the ladies health takes a turn for the worst and she's hospitalized...where does Yoshi go then?!?

I don't know where you live...but I'd definitely be willing to do a leg of the drive if Yoshi needed to get home and passed through my neck of the woods.

If you do get Yoshi home before x-mas, maybe you could take him back and visit her when you get back home for Christmas. If it doesn't work out with your pack, it would be a great time to meet her and do a home visit and see if you want her to adopt Yoshi.

I'm so glad he has been found but he needs to come home as soon as possible. Allowing him to stay there and possibly bond with this elderly woman many only cause him more pain when separated. Besides, you said she is elderly, who if something happens to her? He needs to come home!

I am so happy he has been found... I hope you work out how to get him home !! He is your baby, he needs to be with you. imho

This is a messed up situation. I hope God takes all control in his hands!!

He'll remember you and the love and safeness he felt while with you. When the lady sees his reaction to you, she'll gladly let him go.

There is not a doubt in my mind that Yoshi will remember you. He has been missing you for 5 years and I hope and pray the day comes soon that he will be back in your arms feeling loved and secure!

They DO remember. I once saw a reunion of a pup after two years missing and he knew his owner immediately!!!

I would hire a private investigator. They will stake out the house. They have a lot of tricks up their sleeves.

I would go get him! I cannot imagine leaving him... That poor boy has been abused and needs you. Who knows if this woman can properly take care of him.

I would definitely get him as soon as you can. Hopefully someone can get him for you and keep him until you are back home. I think he will remember you and his home and it will be a comfort to him and help him heal.

This would be me also. I wouldn't be able to wait even a second to get one of my babies. It breaks my heart that this is such a hard decision for you because for me it would be the easiest decision ever. I would hitch hike if it meant getting him back. There is no way I could wait until Christmas. Surely you have a day or two off work. I know this is harsh but I feel like if you really still cared about him you would have him back by now or at least have arrangements made to go get him. Sorry, maybe I missed something and that is out of line but I don't understand why it's so difficult :confused:.

i have emailed the daughter telling her that i am have been torn between the decision on letting him stay with her mom because i have 5 years of mourning a loss that i need to heal and questions that need answers. i feel that it is in both of our best interest to give it a shot. to see how he reacts. i know he has been through a lot since he was taken that day. and probably will be a lot different than he was. i just hope that i have the strength to help him and not let him down. i don't want to fail him he doesn't deserve it. maybe that is why i am also scared. scared i will fail. the daughter told me "Just do what you think is right we love him but understand whatever you decide. I had a cat stolen so I know how you feel and would do anything to have her back. You have all my info if you wanna talk or visit let me know." so i know it won't be a problem to get him back. but from some of the pictures i looked at, i can't really tell if it is him. i am waiting to speak to the vet that scanned his chip tomorrow to ask a few more questions. and then i am going to see if there was a way she can take him up to my vet which is close to the daughters house to get scanned since that is where he was microchipped at. i was back home from the end of may to middle of august. and she found him june 1st. but i was now only notified a few days ago that he was found and now i am back at work. how do i take off anymore time when i just got back from being off 2.5 months. why didn't his chip scan when i was home so i could have ran to get him? i am more confused now than ever. the daughter stated that she had a vet tech friend scan him for a chip when he was first found but no chip was found. then when she rehomed him with her mother her mother took him to a vet in winfield, ks who scanned since it was procedure to scan for any chips when a dog is bought in as strayed. so i have questions to ask the vet as to when did he scan the chip. so many questions bouncing through my mind. can't sleep, can't think, just going crazy right now.