Dog and his owner reunited 2 years later, thanks to microchip
By Dante Lima, the Gainesville Sun
Published: Saturday, October 10, 2009 at 6:12 p.m.
After two years of prayers, tireless searches and desperate phone calls, former University of Florida student Krystal Mossel was reunited with her Gator.
Saturday morning at the Alachua County Humane Society, Mossel walked in to find her 4 1/2-pound Yorkshire Terrier, Gator, not only alive, but clean, groomed and as loving as the day he got lost.
Concerns of whether her dog would even recognize her melted away as it wagged its tail, kissed her face and nearly squirmed its way out of her grip, which is now tighter than ever.
"It seems like a dream," Mossel said. "I didn't think I'd ever see him again. I felt like I lost my child."
Gator went missing in late 2007, when Mossel said he slipped through an opening in their privacy fence. Within 10 minutes, she noticed the dog was gone and began asking neighbors to join in the search. She suspects the friendly and unassuming Yorkie was snatched up by someone and quickly removed from the area.
Her suspicions weren't far off.
On Oct. 6, Alachua County Animal Services received a report of three dogs who were living in an abandoned apartment in northwest Gainesville. Workers found Gator and the two other dogs living in unspeakable conditions.
The apartment had no electricity and there was feces everywhere, according to a report by ACAS. Officials assume that neighbors in the area would feed the dogs on occasion.
After being rescued, Gator was scanned for a microchip, a centimeter-long, cylindrical chip placed between the shoulder blades of dogs with a series of numbers that register the dog's name, owner and address.
At first, ACAS was actually unable to detect the microchip, so Gator wound up at the Alachua County Humane Society.
To double-check, volunteers at the Humane Society scanned Gator one more time and found, yes, he did in fact have a microchip.
All of the sudden, Mossel was a phone call and a three-hour drive from Okeechobee away from her pet.
"We owe everything to that chip. It helped save Gator's life," Mossel said. "If you love your pet, it's necessary to get the chip, because nobody expects to lose their pet."
In the two years Gator has been missing, Mossel said she prayed that Gator was alive, or in the hands of good, loving owners. Fortunately for her, Gator was rescued before his living conditions worsened, and he now has only minor, but treatable skin problems.
"I don't see how somebody could abandon an animal as sweet as this one, it's horrible," she said. "But he's going to get spoiled even more now, because I know how hard it's been for him."
Gator will have to form a fast friendship with the Mossel family's new almond-brown Chihuahua, Acorn. Though there are two dogs in the family now, Mossel says Acorn was never a replacement; Gator was and always will be her special pet.
Jeb Heuss, a worker at the Humane Society, says he adopts out anywhere between five to seven animals a day, but has never been part of a reunion such as the one Saturday.
"I can't imagine what it would be like to lose the equivalent of a family member for two years, but if there's anything that we can take away from today, it's that the chip works," he said. "I'm so happy for the family."
Source:
http://www.gainesville.com/article/20091010/articles/910109955
Printer-friendly version here
By Dante Lima, the Gainesville Sun
Published: Saturday, October 10, 2009 at 6:12 p.m.
After two years of prayers, tireless searches and desperate phone calls, former University of Florida student Krystal Mossel was reunited with her Gator.
Krystal Mossel holds her long lost Yorkshire Terrier named Gator on Saturday after an emotional reunion. Gator was lost two years ago when Mossel, a former UF student, lived in Gainesville.
Saturday morning at the Alachua County Humane Society, Mossel walked in to find her 4 1/2-pound Yorkshire Terrier, Gator, not only alive, but clean, groomed and as loving as the day he got lost.
Concerns of whether her dog would even recognize her melted away as it wagged its tail, kissed her face and nearly squirmed its way out of her grip, which is now tighter than ever.
"It seems like a dream," Mossel said. "I didn't think I'd ever see him again. I felt like I lost my child."
Gator went missing in late 2007, when Mossel said he slipped through an opening in their privacy fence. Within 10 minutes, she noticed the dog was gone and began asking neighbors to join in the search. She suspects the friendly and unassuming Yorkie was snatched up by someone and quickly removed from the area.
Her suspicions weren't far off.
On Oct. 6, Alachua County Animal Services received a report of three dogs who were living in an abandoned apartment in northwest Gainesville. Workers found Gator and the two other dogs living in unspeakable conditions.
The apartment had no electricity and there was feces everywhere, according to a report by ACAS. Officials assume that neighbors in the area would feed the dogs on occasion.
After being rescued, Gator was scanned for a microchip, a centimeter-long, cylindrical chip placed between the shoulder blades of dogs with a series of numbers that register the dog's name, owner and address.
At first, ACAS was actually unable to detect the microchip, so Gator wound up at the Alachua County Humane Society.
To double-check, volunteers at the Humane Society scanned Gator one more time and found, yes, he did in fact have a microchip.
All of the sudden, Mossel was a phone call and a three-hour drive from Okeechobee away from her pet.
"We owe everything to that chip. It helped save Gator's life," Mossel said. "If you love your pet, it's necessary to get the chip, because nobody expects to lose their pet."
In the two years Gator has been missing, Mossel said she prayed that Gator was alive, or in the hands of good, loving owners. Fortunately for her, Gator was rescued before his living conditions worsened, and he now has only minor, but treatable skin problems.
"I don't see how somebody could abandon an animal as sweet as this one, it's horrible," she said. "But he's going to get spoiled even more now, because I know how hard it's been for him."
Gator will have to form a fast friendship with the Mossel family's new almond-brown Chihuahua, Acorn. Though there are two dogs in the family now, Mossel says Acorn was never a replacement; Gator was and always will be her special pet.
Jeb Heuss, a worker at the Humane Society, says he adopts out anywhere between five to seven animals a day, but has never been part of a reunion such as the one Saturday.
"I can't imagine what it would be like to lose the equivalent of a family member for two years, but if there's anything that we can take away from today, it's that the chip works," he said. "I'm so happy for the family."
Source:
http://www.gainesville.com/article/20091010/articles/910109955
Printer-friendly version here
No comments:
Post a Comment