Nour Makhoul fled Syria with her family in April 2023, but was forced to leave her dog Tuti behind.

Now the 20-year-old Cuesta College student, who relocated to San Luis Obispo after leaving her home country, has finally been reunited with her beloved companion.

Last weekend, Tuti flew from Dubai, where she had been staying with a foster home, to Los Angeles. After several days in quarantine and after passing her health checkups, the small pup was finally transported to San Luis Obispo and back into Makhoul’s waiting arms.

“This was my biggest dream,” Makhoul told The Tribune. “I have a lot of dreams here, but this was my biggest one.”

Makhoul said the nine months of waiting to have Tuti back with her were “very difficult.” During that time, she was adjusting to not only a new country, but also began her first year at Cuesta College studying computer science. Though that was hard, she ultimately ended the semester with a 4.0 GPA, she said.

“Tuti was the only missing part to it,” Makhoul said. “It’s when you go to bed and start thinking, ‘I know that there’s something missing and it’s this huge hole. It’s truly missing in my life.’”

How fundraiser, volunteers helped bring dog from Syria to SLO

The process to get Tuti out of Syria and to San Luis Obispo County was a long and drawn out one, often riddled with starts and stops and confusing requirements, she said.

At one point, Tuti became pregnant, pushing her transport back further. After Tuti gave birth to a litter of puppies, operation reunification started once again. Through the months, Tuti would be moved from Syria to a foster home in Lebanon and ultimately to Dubai as she underwent blood tests, health checks and had a slew of paperwork completed that would authorize her entry into the United States.

Throughout it all, Makhoul just kept imagining what it would be like to once again have Tuti in her arms.

“I was literally in contact with whoever was with her like every day,” she said. “I was getting the support from her, but not actually getting it in person, you know? I was like, I need her with me.”

Teen refugee left her dog behind when she fled Syria for SLO. Can they be reunited?

Makhoul noted that her reunion wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work of a number of volunteers, including San Luis Obispo radio host Dave Congalton and local residents Jessica Ericksen and Kathy Minck.

Ericksen helped coordinated the rescue efforts with Kabul Small Animal Rescue, while Minck and Congalton additionally started a GoFundMe campaign to help cover the costs of what would promise to be an expensive endeavor.

Ultimately, the GoFundMe raised $6,085 — well above its initial goal of $4,000.

And it’s a good thing it did. Makhoul said thanks to the delays and changes in plans, getting Tuti to her ended up being more expensive than expected.

Finally on Jan. 12, Makhoul got the message she had been waiting for: Tuti was in Los Angeles and she would be brought to San Luis Obispo within a few days.

‘I will remember this moment to the end of my life,’ refugee reunited with dog says

As she anxiously waited, Makhoul said she was nervous that something would happen that could prevent her reuniting with Tuti.

“One moment, I’m so excited — like my baby’s coming to me again,” she said. “And another moment, I was so scared. Like something might go wrong. And I was nervous about trusting all these people in the end. I know they put all their time and effort to work with animals, dogs and cats and birds and like a lot of types of animal, but at the same time they are still strangers to me.”

Makhoul ultimately decided she would just have to trust in the people and the process.

“It was the longest five, six days of my life,” she said. “It was so long. I felt the time is going slow motion.”

Then on Wednesday, they got the first text message: Tuti was on the road. After some classically California traffic delays, Tuti had arrived outside the San Luis Obispo home of one of Makhoul’s friends.

They hadn’t told Makhoul’s family what was happening so it would be a surprise, she added.

“I saw the text message and I felt the car pulling in near the house,” Makhoul said. “I was so excited that I ran outside. And I was just waiting to see my baby. When she saw me, I was like ‘Tuti!’ She started giving me all the kisses.”

“It was a really beautiful moment,” she added. “I will remember this moment to the end of my life.”

Now that they are together once again, Makhoul has dedicated herself to making sure her beloved pup is healthy and happy in her new home. She has plans to take her to the beach to see the ocean for the first time once she’s more settled in — though she’s unsure if the excitable dog will enjoy it or not, she joked.

It was also important to Makhoul to thank all of the people who helped make her reunion with Tuti possible. That included everyone who worked for the animal rescue, the local volunteers who helped coordinate everything and the dozens of people who donated to the fundraiser.

“All because of the sheer generosity of people,” she said. “I really want to thank all of these people. They’ve been a huge help. Without them, I wouldn’t be with my baby right now.”