In a tale of a lost pet and an unexpected reunion, "Oreo," a Boston Terrier, returned to his Palo Alto home Tuesday after being lost for more than 4 years.

A Daly City resident found him wandering near the Security Public Storage on Hyde Court and called the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA (PHS/SPCA), which brought him to its San Mateo shelter. Apart from a collar and ID tag with the owner's contact information, staff veterinarians also found a microchip implanted in him.

Brandon Springer, whose grandmother had been Oreo's owner, said the call from the PHS/SPCA came as a shock because his family had given up looking for the dog a few months after he went missing. He rushed to the shelter to find Oreo -- now six years old -- safe and sound, albeit with a badly injured leg.

Doctors at the Alta View Animal Hospital in Mountain View informed Springer that Oreo had a fractured hip and kneecap, but had obviously been fed and looked after by someone.

The dog had escaped from the yard through an open side gate in the summer of 2008, and the family had assumed that he had gone to nearby Cubberley Park, where he was usually taken on walks, during a soccer tournament. They had posted flyers in the neighborhood and advertisements on Craigslist, but had given up hope of finding him.

The PHS/SCPA stated in a release that it hopes this fairytale-like ending will encourage more people to consider using microchips for their pets, as they can be "a lost pet's ticket home," according to PHS/SPCA spokesperson Scott Delucchi. Owners can get their dogs microchipped at the PHS/SPCA for $30, without having to book an appointment.

This reunion was particularly special for Springer's grandfather, Larry Guglielmelli, whose wife of 62 years, Ann, had been Oreo's owner, and with whom he had lived in Palo Alto for the last 58 years. She died from cancer last April. Although the woman who found him in Daly City expressed an interest in adopting him, Springer said that his grandfather wanted to "hold on to him" in memory of his wife.

They now have two more Boston Terriers, Pepper and Jersey, and hope to introduce Oreo to them, once he is back on his paws after his surgery.

Are you receiving Express, our free daily e-mail edition? See a sample and sign-up for Express.