After five long years apart, Penny, a 6-year-old Chihuahua mix, is finally going home to Mississippi.

The small dog vanished from her family's yard, and for years, no one knew what had happened to her.

“We thought Penny was a goner for sure,” said Kristy Taylor, Penny’s owner. “A few months went by. We had posted her in some Facebook missing pet groups, and we never got any bites, so we just assumed that she had moved on with life, with a new family. And indeed she did.”

It’s unclear where Penny has been all this time, but one thing is certain: She is healthy, happy and well-fed.

“She’s a little bigger. She’s put on a little weight,” Taylor said.

Volusia County Animal Services Director Angela Miedema believes Penny has likely been cared for during her time away.

“With her condition b

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