The investigation uncovered something that would finally explain why years of searching had produced almost nothing.

Semper had a microchip.

But there was a problem.

According to Campos, another person had apparently added their information to Semper’s chip in 2016.

That development created confusion in the system and helped explain why Mares wasn’t being contacted when Semper was found.

The situation became even more surprising when investigators discovered that Semper had apparently been listed for sale on Craigslist for $200.

The dog Mares had been desperately searching for wasn’t simply wandering around somewhere unknown.

He had apparently changed hands.

And the information that could have helped reconnect him with his original family had not led back to Mares as she expected.

A Tiny Piece of Information Changed Everything

In May 2017, Mares went to the humane society to have Semper’s microchip information checked again.

That’s when the crucial detail surfaced.

The chip records showed that another person had added their name to Semper’s information a year earlier, on April 11, 2016.