French bulldog reunited with owner after more than two years

LOS ANGELES - A San Fernando Valley woman was recently reunited with her missing French bulldog after more than two years. In the countless hours Yasmine Haezeart spent looking for her pup, she became an animal advocate and helped others find their missing pets. 

Now, she and her dog are finally back together.

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French bulldog goes missing

The backstory:

Haezeart's French bulldog Havoc went missing on Jan. 13, 2023. Havoc was with Haezeart's mom, when he ran off the family's property.

Havoc was then quickly picked up. Haezeart believes he was stolen. She took off work for months to search for the pup, but turned up nothing. Through her efforts, she was even able to help others find their missing pets.

"That day was the worst day of my life," Haezeart recalled. "I still remember driving around the neighborhood with squeak toys, hanging out the window, and just screaming out his name into the darkness."

Since then, Haezeart has dedicated her life to finding Havoc, using every possible method —including hiring cadaver dogs, consulting psychic mediums, and visiting homeless encampments. She also built a massive online support system called "Havoc’s Army" to aid in the search.

"The only peace I’ve had the last two years is just knowing that if I miss a dog, someone in Havoc’s Army is going to send it to me and check," she said. "And that’s exactly what happened the day he was found."

What we know:

Then, just last week, Havoc showed up at an Apple Valley family's home. 

"She immediately posted on Facebook — ‘Hey, is this anyone’s dog? He just showed up at my house,’" Haezeart said. "I had at least 10 people send it to me right away. We compared photos, we compared his markings, we compared his teeth."

One detail in particular stood out to Haezeart.

"She told me that he was attacking her water hose," she said. "And that is like Havoc’s arch-nemesis — the water hose. When she said that, both me and my mom were like, ‘It could be him…’"

A microchip scan at the Apple Valley Animal Shelter confirmed the dog’s identity.

"The shelter called me with the family on speakerphone," Haezeart said. "They had me read out the microchip number I had—my hands were shaking. And then they just said, ‘It’s Havoc—we have Havoc—it’s Havoc!’ I fell to my knees. I was screaming and crying and just kept saying, ‘It’s Havoc—it’s Havoc—it’s him! It’s finally over!’"

What we don't know:

It's not clear what Havoc got up to for the last two years. Haezeart believes that he was stolen, and then somehow came to live with a family in San Bernardino County, but doesn't have any other information.

"I don’t know what he’s gone through. It’s really difficult to think about, but from what I gather, he was not treated well," she said. "The most traumatizing for me is that he flinches now when he gets in trouble. If I raise my hand too fast, he’ll give me a little flinch."

Emotional reunion

Havoc's emotional reunion with his mom was captured on video on Friday, March 14, after nearly 800 days apart. 

After two years, he knew immediately—before he even saw her—that she was there. Once he saw her, there was no holding him back!

What they're saying:

Haezeart called the reunion a "miracle," and is so happy to have Havoc back after all her searching.

"When he saw me, he recognized me right away. What you don't see on that video was my P.O.V. and my point of view, which I think is way better, because he was in her arms, and as soon as he saw me, he was fighting to get out of her arms," Haezeart said. "And it's just a miracle. It's a miracle that he ended up on the right people's front lawn. It's a miracle that he was able to escape. Like. Almost like he was looking for me, too."

The family who found Havoc, who wishes to remain anonymous, released a statement about the emotional reunion:

"We are very blessed to be part of Havoc and Yasmine’s story! It makes my heart so happy to see him back home with his mama, who never gave up on him. The amount of love she had for him was obvious. When Yasmine walked in the door, she was talking to my husband, and Havoc started to jump out of my hands to run to her as fast as his little legs would go!

What's next:

Havoc is now back home with Haezeart and two other dogs she adopted since Havoc went missing. One is another French bulldog who she's named doppelgänger, since he looks very similar to Havoc, and another is named Mayhem.

"I love him so much—I would do it all again," Haezeart said. "I would go through it all again for him—10 times."

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