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TRENTON — Chasity Bishop was shocked when she saw her sister's missing dog staring back at her on the front page of her local newspaper.

Bishop was at Marathon paying for gas when she glanced at the newsstand and saw the shepherd-mix dog on the front page of Tuesday's JournalNews and Middletown Journal.

"He was just staring right at me and I knew it was him," said Bishop, of Hamilton's West Side.

The dog appeared in a photo with Leland Gordon, executive director of the Animal Friends Humane Society in Trenton. By chance, Gordon selected the tan-colored dog for the photo to complement the blue shirt he was wearing that day.

The 11-month-old pooch had been at the shelter for nine days by the time the photo was printed, but Bishop wasted no time notifying her sister, Charity Mills, also of Hamilton.

"At first I thought something happen to him. I was scared," Mills said. Bandit had been missing since he dug a hole under Mills' fence and ran away.

"Luckily, I got him back. If he wasn't in the paper, who knows if I would have gotten him back. He's a beautiful dog, so someone would have adopted him," Mills said.

Gordon said the dog also might have been sent to a rescue group or euthanized. He said the shelter only must keep a stray for three days under state law, and then it becomes property of the shelter.

After seeing the paper, the Hamilton sisters went straight to the shelter, paper in hand. Mills adopted her former pet.

The dog stayed another day at the shelter, where he was neutered, micro-chipped, licensed, heartworm tested and updated on shots. Mills was cited for no license.

"We love Bandit and we're glad to have him back," Mills said.

She said she hopes her story draws attention to the shelter, which she said is always in need of donations. Contributions can be made by contacting the shelter at (513) 867-5727 or online at animalfriendshs.org.

"We really did like this family and they are considering becoming volunteers at the humane society. We educated them on the importance of coming immediately and then every day to look for lost pets," Gordon said.

Mills is still missing her Boston terrier, named Bull, who followed Bandit from the yard. The black and white dog is 4 years old and was wearing a black collar.

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2551 or mengle@coxohio.com.