A sad update to a recent uplifting story: Minion, the senior dog who recently reunited with his family after being missing for 12 years, has passed away.

Minion, a Bichon Frise, was 15 years old, so the news isn’t shocking: he was in the upper end of the life expectancy for the breed. But it’s still a bittersweet moment for the family, coming just weeks after the long-lost dog finally returned to their lives.


“It was great to get Minion back for the short time we had him,” owner Skip Crandall told Fox News Digital. “Even though we missed out on much of his life, it was special for us to have him at the beginning and the end.”

Minion reportedly died of complications from anesthesia while receiving a much-needed dental procedure.

Minion’s story was a remarkable one that warmed hearts around the world. In August, the senior dog was found by Maricopa County Animal Care & Control, who said he “appeared a little shy and kind of sad” and never wagged his tail.

The shelter was stunned when a microchip revealed he had a family and had been missing for 12 years. The owners said Minion disappeared all the way back in 2011, when a maintenance worker left their back gate open.

An officer from the shelter drove Minion back to his old family. Even though so much time had passed, it was immediately clear that the 15-year-old dog remembered his family: he ran to them and started wagging his tail, something he had not done before. The shelter called it the “reunion of a lifetime.”

Photos show just how much time had passed. In one photo from 2011, the family’s son is a child holding Minion as a puppy. In the reunion pic, the son is a grown man, holding the now-senior dog.

After so long apart, it seems tragic that Minion died so shortly after returning home. But he at least had a few weeks catching up with his old family and playing with their other dogs.

It’s as if Minion just wanted to hold on long enough to see his family again — after finally making it home, he was ready to go and be at peace. According to Fox News, the family buried Minion in their backyard, so he’ll still always be with them.

Rest in peace, Minion. It’s heartbreaking you’re gone but we’re glad you got to see your family again after so many years.

Please share this story in memory of Minion 💔❤️