Koki is home, finally, reunited Tuesday afternoon with a teary-eyed Sheryl Jans, the loving lesbian dog-owner who had not seen the black and white Boston terrier in eight years.
Jans last saw Koki in 2005, when the dog was 3. Jans split with her then-girlfriend at the time, and her ex took Koki.
The dog ultimately landed at the Kona Humane Shelter on the Big Island in Hawaiiand Jans was tracked down through Koki's microchip.
Koki traveled from Kona to San Francisco, and then connected onto another United Airlines flight, bound for O'Hare International Airport. Mom and dog reunited in the United Cargo Center about an hour after the flight arrived in Chicago.
"It's awesome; she looks exactly the same; I feel a sense of relief," said Jans, 46, who lives in north suburban Round Lake Beach, is fifth-grade teacher in Lake County, and is in a committed relationship.
Jans was joined for the reunion by her sister.
Koki weighs about 16 pounds and had a Tuesday evening appointment at the vet, the same veterinarian who treated her about a decade ago.
"She's a little greyer, but that's no different than me," Jans said, smiling. "It's been a total roller-coaster rider [since learning of Koki's whereabouts on June 26]. I didn't think I'd ever see her again.
"It's real, but not really real, yet. It's crazy."
Jans said she slept for, oh, about two hours on Monday, too excited for the reunion.
"She's livelier than I expected [she'd be]. She looks pretty good," Jans said. "I think she remembers me."
Jans plans to bring Koki to her school one day this fall. After all, staff, fellow teachers and students have heard and learned of Koki's near-4,000 mile journey back to suburban Chicago. And Jans' fifth-graders even wrote letters to Koki as part of an assignment.
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