A VICTORIAN family's dog has returned home after being found alive more than two years after it went missing.
The tiny white Maltese shih tzu named Baymax was reunited with his family on Wednesday after leaving the Deer Park home in October 2017 out the side gate in mysterious circumstances.
Owner Peter Phethalankham has not ruled out that Baymax was snatched.
"The wind had been pretty strong but ... the gate was bolted down. I thought it had been tampered with by the end of it," he said on Wednesday.
"He might have been (stolen) but I could be over thinking it."
It had devastated him to tell his then three-year-old son Chace their furry friend was gone. His daughter was about five months old at the time.
The young boy kept asking for his four-legged friend, especially while watching the dog's namesake in the Disney film Big Hero Six.
The family searched for weeks after Baymax's grand escape but had no luck.
Mr Phethalankham held out hope, refusing to throw away Baymax's bed and toys.
"It was pretty gut-wrenching. I knew he couldn't look after himself," he said.
"I hoped someone had taken him in and take care of him. But if that was the case, I was hoping I would hear from someone.
"That's why I thought the worst. I thought someone would bring him back after he was found but that didn't happen."
Then a call came from The Lost Dogs Home earlier this month - Baymax was found safe in Hoppers Crossing.
For Chace, who last saw Baymax as a toddler, it was "a lot of happys" to have him back.
"He came home. I first saw him two years ago, I still like him," he said.
The Lost Dogs Home spokeswoman Suzana Talevski said if Baymax had been taken to the right place to be checked, the reunion could have happened years ago.
"Baymax was in a very good condition when he was picked up by our staff, which leads us to think he found another home for the past two years," she said.
The animal welfare organisation says it is a reminder for pet owners to make sure their animals are microchipped.
As for the gate, it's been barricaded to prevent any more grand escapes.
Australian Associated Press
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