They're all smiles now, Ethan, John, Danica, their mom, Katrina, and of course Ziggy, who's now resting comfortably at their Missouri home.
However, for several weeks, Ziggy was gone. He disappeared while on a family trip to Murfreesboro. They were packing their vehicle to head back home after a funeral when a loud noise spooked him.
The family stayed two extra days to search for Ziggy but eventually had to make the difficult decision to leave without him.
"A week went by and it was like, we're still going to find him, and then that two week mark hit and it was awful," Katrina said.
Ziggy has been Ethan's service dog. His absence took a toll on the 16-year-old.
"How many melt downs did you have?" Katrina asked him.
"I had like two in one day at one point and probably three or four in between that," Ethan said.
Meanwhile, in Murfreesboro folks were on the lookout for a brindle boxer.
"I look at Craigslist daily. I came across the lost boxer," said James Maynard. Maynard lives just outside Murfreesboro. He also has a love for dogs, boxers in particular. Ziggy's post caught his attention, and word was spreading quickly.
It had been three weeks since Ziggy vanished from a neighborhood in Murfreesboro. His family was beginning to lose hope they'd ever see him again until a passerby happened to notice him lying in a field at Stones River National Battlefield.
"He was found on a bale of hay," Maynard said. He made the trip to pick him up.
In Missouri, the Duplass family prepared to hit the road. "I was like hey guys, jeans, hoodie, tennis shoes, throw it in the car let's go," explained Katrina.
They drove overnight, and meanwhile Maynard was caring for Ziggy. He'd lost a lot of weight and was wounded.
"He had a gash on his shoulder, a gash on his head. I took him home, bathed him because he smelled like a skunk," said Maynard.
A couple bowls of Maynard's homemade Scooby Stew helped as he prepared to be reunited with his family. They met in a Walmart parking lot.
"When they were pulling in the parking lot, he perked up," said Maynard.
"I was trying to be a big girl and not cry," Katrina said. "She was the first one to ball," Ethan laughed.
Ziggy was finally on his way home, surrounded by his family after a harrowing three weeks alone.
"I've got to send out a special thank you to everyone. There are people who know about Ziggy and knew about the situation and we didn't know. I didn't know how many people were out there looking for him, and I cannot thank the community enough," said Katrina.
