Gage, yellow lab

Microchip, deputies help reunite long-lost dog with Clay County owner
By Dan Scanlan, Florida Times-Union
August 27, 2010

The last time Dalton Perry saw Gage, it was about two years ago. The then-Glen St. Mary boy put the young yellow Labrador in an outside pen after dinner.

Then someone purloined the puppy.

Friday afternoon, one day before National Dog Day, 13-year-old Dalton was reunited with a much bigger canine Gage at Nassau County Animal Services in Fernandina Beach. Only problem — whoever had the dog in the interval renamed him Roscoe, according to his worn collar.

With the implanted ID microchip in the dog and work by the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office, the Perrys were tracked to their new Middleburg home after two detectives found Gage (err, Roscoe) wandering outside Callahan BBQ on Florida 200 on Wednesday.

“It was good detective work, an act of God and two detectives,” Animal Services Director Deborah Biggs said at the reunion.

Dalton was grinning as he hugged his 11th birthday present, back alive and tail wagging.

“He’s big,” an excited Dalton said.

With two new Labs as Dalton’s latest birthday present, it’s going to be a busy house after the surprise recovery of the first Lab, his mother said.

“I couldn’t believe it all. It was shocking,” Ashley Perry said. “We are trying to make the adjustment now. But we have 3 1/2 acres and my ex-husband has a huge farm, so we have plenty of room.”

The two detectives, Dee Gaston and Michelle Christensen, found the dog with his ribs showing through his light yellow fur. They fed him some chicken before Animal Services picked him up. The telephone number on his brass tag was disconnected.

But the dog had been microchipped — a tiny electronic tag injected under his skin that carries a canine’s veterinarian information when scanned. A scan led to the Jacksonville veterinarian who injected the microchip, but the phone number for the Perrys was old.

The Nassau County Sheriff’s Office didn’t stop there and was able to locate the Perrys 40 miles away in Middleburg. Animal center officials e-mailed photos of the dog to the mother, and she confirmed it was hers.

“We have had animals come in with microchips and been able to rejoin them with their owners, but not an animal gone for two years,” Biggs said. “You are ecstatic [when this happens]. You have goosebumps. It is really a great feeling to save an animal and reunite them after so long.”

With the paperwork finished, an animal services officer went back to Gage’s cage. The dog put his paws on the gate as his tail swung furiously. Pulling hard on the leash, his paws slid on the office floor as he met his original family.

“Hey, buddy,” Perry said as the dog tentatively walked up to her son. “We are going to have our hands full.”

Dalton said he was so happy when Gage came into his life two years ago, because he always wanted a Lab. Then he was gone, and he gave him up as stolen. His mother said she always microchips her dogs, but this is the first time one did its job.

“We had a Pekinese and a Dachshund [four years ago] and we had the chips put in them, and someone came in our back yard and stole those,” she said.

“They never turned up and we called the vet, Humane Society and everyone around. It’s just amazing two years later we found this dog.”

As for the ultimate name of their new/old pet, “we will see what he goes by,” Perry said. She will use Roscoe, while her son may give Gage a try for a while.



Source: http://jacksonville.com/community/clay/2010-08-27/story/microchip-deputies-help-reunite-long-lost-dog-clay-county-owner
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Another version of the story at: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2010-08-28/story/microchip-and-deputies-help-reunite-long-lost-labrador-clay-county-owner

Happy Jack, border collie mix

Lost Blind, Deaf, 3-Legged Dog FoundFrantic Search Ends Happily With 'Miracle'
By Homa Quazilbash, KTVZ.COM
POSTED: 11:24 pm PDT August 20, 2010
UPDATED: 7:19 pm PDT August 21, 2010

PRINEVILLE, Ore. -- A blind and deaf border collie with the use of only three of his legs survived three weeks lost in the woods -- but thanks to many eyes looking out for "Happy Jack," he's back home with his Prineville family.

"I believe we got a miracle from God -- there's just no doubt about it," Linda Keter said Friday.

Keter adopted the now-9-year-old tri-colored pooch from a border collie rescue a few years ago.

Keter and her family took the dog camping as usual a few weeks ago -- but this time, Happy Jack wandered away from camp -- something she said he's never done before.

"We all jumped on our horses, split up and went in three different directions," she recalled.

"My husband went and woke up all the other campers that were camping in the area, and they jumped on their ATVs and their motorcycles and their horses and went in search of" the lost dog, Keter said.

After about three weeks in the woods, Happy Jack finally was found by a group of horse riders who saw a flyer for the dog and were determined to find him.

Out on a trail, they saw something out of the corner of their eye, and it happened to be Happy Jack -- hungry, tired and barely alive.

They called Keter, who rushed out -- and after three weeks of searching, sleepless nights and calling every vet and shelter in the area, she and Happy Jack were reunited.

Source: http://www.ktvz.com/news/24709887/detail.html
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Tyler, yorkie

Stolen Dog Sold To Another Family
Stolen Dog Reunited With Owner
updated 7/28/2010 8:45:47 AM ET

DETROIT — A woman whose dog was stolen from her home several weeks ago has been reunited with her beloved Yorkie.

Felita Kante told Local 4 she was driving home from work on Detroit's northwest side Monday evening when she spotted her 1-year-old dog playing with a family.

Kante said she slammed on her brakes, got out of the car and called out the dog's name, "Tyler."

Tyler began barking and ran to her, said Kante.

Kante said Tyler had been shaved down and was thinner, but she would recognize her dog anywhere.

When Kante tried to explain to the couple and their young daughter that the dog, along with other items, had been stolen from her home on Archdale Street several weeks ago, they wanted proof, said Kante.

Kante pulled out a missing dog poster from her trunk. The couple said they had bought the dog with cash from someone off the street.

They agreed to give Tyler back, but Kante knew the young girl was upset, so she said she gave the family the reward money she had offered to find her missing dog.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38434259

Caramel, pekingese

Purloined Pekingese pooch reunited with owners
Posted: Aug 24, 2010 11:26 AM EDT
Updated: Aug 25, 2010 1:57 PM EDT

ROWAN COUNTY, NC (WBTV) - Dog gone is now dog home!

One woman's prized Pekingese puppy was snatched from the parking lot of an Old Navy store in Salisbury, but early Tuesday night there was a tearful reunion.

The circumstances in the case are a little unusual and the woman is anxious to see her beloved "Caramel" again.

"I understand that you love her too, she's easy to love, but these girls had her first and they love her and they just want to get what's rightfully theirs back," Ayana Thomas told WBTV.

Her daughters, 11 year old twins Tasha and Chanel Sturdivant, should be excited about the first day of school , instead they are heartbroken over the loss of their beloved Pekingese puppy named Caramel.

"She's the princess of this household," said 11 year old Natasha. "We keep her like she's our little sister and a family member, and all we really want is our dog back."

Here's what happened...the girls and their mom were shopping at Old Navy in Salisbury Thursday night.

Caramel was in the car, but managed to get out and run to the sidewalk.

Two women and two children spotted Caramel, and grabbed her, according to witnesses.

"Two women, two children, all blonde hair, one of the women was older, and they took the dog with them," Thomas added.

Ayana Thomas says an Old Navy worker tried to get them to stop, but they gave her a name and phone number so that the dog's owner could call and claim the dog...that number turned out to be bogus.

So Caramel is gone, the girls are in disbelief and their mother is desperate to bring Caramel home.

"Caramel is loved, very loved, we just want her home," said Thomas.

Within minutes after the story about Caramel aired on WBTV, someone who had the dog contacted Ayana to tell her she wanted to return the dog.

According to Ayana, the woman saw the story and was upset by seeing just how the young girls had been affected by the loss of the dog, so she contacted Ayana and set up meeting.

By 6:30, Caramel, Natasha, Chanel, and Ayana were reunited.

Source: http://www.wbtv.com/global/story.asp?s=13035060
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Ginger

Burned dog reunited with its owner and missing puppies in Milford
By Brian McCready and James Tinley, Special to The Register Citizen
Thursday, July 15, 2010

MILFORD — A dog that suffered terrible burns was reunited Wednesday with its owner, who police say has been ruled out as a suspect in the animal’s injuries.

The dog’s litter, which also was feared missing, was found with the owner, and all eight puppies are in good condition, said Animal Control Officer Rick George.

George and other members of the city’s Animal Control Office found the dog Saturday after responding to a complaint of a severely burned animal. They found the 2-year-old Staffordshire terrier, later dubbed “Ginger,” roaming in the area of Colonial Avenue.

The dog was suffering from severe burns on her neck just below her head, shoulders and front paws. Additionally, the pups were thought to be missing, and taken too soon from their mother.

But Wednesday, George said the owner, who does not live in Milford, and the injured dog were reunited, and the “dog was very good with her.” Police spokesman Officer Jeffrey Nielsen said the dog’s owner is not a suspect in the injuries.

“The owner is very happy to know she is OK,” George said. “I met with the owner, and she was genuinely concerned.”

“She was very happy to see the dog, and the dog will be going home soon,” said George.

George said the owner, whom authorities have not identified, noticed the dog missing Friday.

The owner had been about to take the dog and the pups to the veterinarian, and tied the terrier to the fence for about 20 minutes. When she returned, the dog had vanished.

George said it’s his belief the dog was snatched because it was unlikely the terrier would leave her pups.

“The distance involved is too far,” George said. “The dog did not just walk into Milford.”

Nielsen said the owner didn’t originally panic over the missing dog because it had gotten loose before and always returned home.

A friend of the owner saw stories in the media about Ginger’s injuries and called the owner, who then immediately called animal control officials, Nielsen said.

George said the owner was able to verify who she was by producing pictures of the dog on her camera.

“Our detective and animal control verified that she had the puppies, and they were in good health and she was taking care of them,” Nielsen said.

Authorities do not know how the dog came to be injured.

Since news of Ginger’s story surfaced this week, hundreds of phone calls have poured into the Milford Animal Control office, and more than $2,000 has been donated for the dog’s medical bills.

George said other than the injuries, the dog is in good health as are her pups. He said the puppies are now 5 weeks old and can survive on their own.

“Ginger is responding well to her treatment, and has two weeks left in the animal hospital,” he said.

United Way of Milford has set up a fund to allow people to donate by check or credit card online. Checks can be mailed to United Way of Milford c/o Ginger P.O. Box 221, Milford 06460; or visit www.unitedwayofmilford.org and look for the Ginger link.

Source: http://www.registercitizen.com/articles/2010/07/15/news/doc4c3f17f5b6071061275479.txt
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Obie, Shih tzu

Obie the Lost Dog
from Go Schnauzer, a Blog Dedicated to Kaiser and His Fellow Schnauzers
June 2nd, 2010

A few weekends ago, as we were walking to our car after a co-ed softball game, a small shih-tzu began following us and quickly tried to jump in our car. He had no tags or collar so we picked him up and walked around the park asking everyone we saw if he belonged to them.

We had no luck finding his owner and decided to take him home. Since we didn’t know his name we began calling him Obie, as in O.B. (Ocean Beach), because that is where we found him. He was such a sweet, friendly dog. As soon as we brought him home he and Kaiser began to play. We immediately noticed that Obie was very dirty, as if he’d been outside for a couple days. We gave him a bath and groomed his coat to remove some of the tangled mats. Kaiser was a bit jealous of all the attention and care Obie was receiving, but he enjoyed having a playmate.

Obie felt so fresh and clean after his bath!

We found Obie on Sunday and decided if we didn’t find his owner by Monday we would take him the San Diego Department of Animal Services, to see if he had a microchip. In the meantime, we took a picture of Obie and posted fliers around the dog park, dog beach, and the softball field where we found him. We also posted an ad on craigslist.org announcing we’d found a lost dog. We received a dozen calls and emails in response to the postings, but none were Obie’s owners.

Obie stayed over night with us on Sunday. He was very well-behaved and trained which made us believe he came from a good home and that a very worried family was looking for him. On Monday morning we took him to the SDDAC. We found out he did have a microchip; however, the contact information on the microchip had not been updated so they were unable to get in touch with Obie’s owner. The SDDAC said they would keep him for four days and wait for his owner to contact them before he would be put up for adoption. We were sad to hand him over to the SDDAC. We told them we wanted to be notified if his owner didn’t claim him and he was not adopted. We were sure that such a sweet, well-behaved dog would be claimed by his owner or quickly adopted by a loving family, but, if not, we absolutely wouldn’t allow him to be put down.

Obie and Kaiser, playing

We frequently checked in with the SDDAC after leaving Obie on Monday and within a couple days they informed us that he had been reunited with his owner. Yay! We were so happy and relieved to hear the news. We sure did enjoy having Obie as a guest in our home, and Kaiser loved having a temporary brother, but we’re so glad he is back home with his family.

Rufus, malamute

Lost dog reunited with owner after 6 years
By Adam Singleton. The Denver Post
Posted: 08/19/2010

A dog lost for nearly six years was finally reunited with his owner at the Denver Dumb Friends League on Tuesday.

William Kemp with Rufus

Rufus, an 8-year-old Alaskan Malamute mix, was scanned for a microchip when the dog was brought in the the animal shelter.

The person who brought Rufus in said the dog appeared to have been abandoned, according to a release from the Dumb Friends League.

The chip made it possible to reunite Rufus with his family.

William Kemp came to get Rufus on Wednesday.

Kemp's experience shows the importance of providing your pet with a microchip, the shelter added.

Source: http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_15830076?source=rss

Max, westie

Family reunited with dog who went missing for six days in Ben Lomond
by Gary Fanning, Hamilton Advertiser
Aug 19 2010

A FAMILY were overjoyed at being reunited with their pet dog who went missing for six days in the Ben Lomond area.

Ross and Mandy Gilroy and their five-year-old daughter Millie, of Craigbank Street, Larkhall, were devastated after little Westie Max vanished after climbing to the top of the 3196ft. mountain with Ross.

The pair ascended the alternative route, known as the Ptarmigan path, to the summit.

Max, who was off his lead, spotted some sheep... and leaped over a ridge and started chasing them before getting lost.

Electrician Ross (36) had his hopes of finding Max dashed after searching up and down Ben Lomond for three consecutive days after he disappeared.

But six days later Max – covered in mud – was rescued by an elderly couple who found him scrambling on a rock beside Loch Lomond.

Ross said: “I lost all hope of finding Max.

“I was in disbelief. I couldn’t believe he could get away so easy.

“I was crying that I couldn’t find him. I was heartbroken.

“I didn’t want to upset Millie, so I told her that Max was from the Highlands and was spending some time there playing with sheep.”

Ross had telephoned his wife Mandy (32), a nurse at Wishaw General Hospital, to tell her the dreaded news that Max was lost.

He added: “She said that I better not leave without him.

“I tried my best to find him. I went back the following day but I couldn’t find him. I went up again on the Monday; still there was no sign.

“I searched everywhere but I couldn’t find him.”

Ross put up ‘missing’ posters in Invershiel and other villages around Ben Lomond.

A dog looking like Max was spotted running about a car park in Rowardennan.

Staff at the Rowardennan Hotel said that they had noticed a Westie roaming about during the day.

Then a couple from Bearsden said they found a little Westie.

Ross said: “They had a Westie of their own and it heard our Max barking and drew their attention to it.

“They found the dog scrambling on a rock in the loch.”

Ross said he was delighted to get Max back. They have had the pet for three years.

“He’s a good wee dog and a typical Westie who is fun and loving.

“When he came home he was treated to chicken and liver.

“All his claws were ripped during the time he was missing. I think he might have been fighting with something and he had some scars. But he is a survivor.

“We will never know what happened to him while he was gone.”

Source: http://www.hamiltonadvertiser.co.uk/news/local-news/hamilton-news/2010/08/19/family-reunited-with-dog-who-went-missing-for-six-days-in-ben-lomond-51525-27087513/

Nash, chocolate lab

Lost Dog Reunited With Owner After 45 Days
Cascade Couple Finds Chocolate Lab Missing Since July
By: Samantha Anderson
August 16, 2010

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- A lost dog is reunited with his owner after 45 days in the wilderness.

"I first lost Nash July 1st. We were hiking up in Crags Campground area on the northwest face of Pikes Peak," said Nash’s owner Tyler Walker.

Something spooked Nash and he ran off into the woods. “We didn’t notice because he always roams around a little bit when we camp,” said Walker.

The next day a hiker spotted Nash above the tree line near Devils Playground. Walker searched for Nash the next couple days, but couldn’t find him.

“I started to lose hope a little. Nobody else saw him. I started to think the worst. He's up by himself in the forest," Walker said.

Walker posted signs around the area before returning back home.

A week later, a hiker called Walker and told him he spotted Nash in the same area. “He gave me the GPS coordinates and I immediately went back and went hiking,” he said.

Walker camped out for six days with a group of friends. “All of the sudden, I hear Tyler, Tyler, it's Nash,” said Walker. “I ran over and I could see him. He recognized me and perked up, he was maybe 20 feet away,” he said.

But when Walker called Nash, the chocolate lab tucked his tail between his legs and backed off.

“He was so timid he ran up the hill and farther into the forest,” said Walker.

Finally, after 45 days, Nash was found in Cascade. Stacey and Brandon Hendricks found Nash inside their house.

“He had actually been hanging out in the area for a couple of days, I thought he was a neighborhood dog,” said Stacey Hendricks. “He ended up coming into the house looking for food. We saw the tag on his collar and called Tyler,” she said.

On Sunday, Nash and Tyler were reunited.

On Monday, Nash was taken to the Polo Springs Veterinarian Hospital and checked out. “He was underweight and only had a few scrapes on his left leg,” said Walker.

Source: http://www.krdo.com/news/24651355/detail.html
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Abby, black lab

Tearful reunion for long-lost dog
By Anna Mathews, © Carroll County News staff writer
Monday, February 2, 2004

GREEN FOREST ---- There was hardly a dry eye in the room when Abby, a sweet, smart and valuable AKC registered black lab, joyously reunited with her family after surviving seven long and lonely months on her own, miles and miles from the place she called home.

After seven months of futile searching, Scott and Kara Branton came to Green Forest, where they were finally united with their treasured black lab Abby. In the background, animal control officer Gay Lynn Easter cried with joy when reuniting Abby with her owners. It took the animal control officer considerable effort to catch the wily labrador, who had been staying alive by feeding on escaped chickens from Tyson Foods in Berryville.

Abby disappeared without a trace south of Berryville, and the well-trained dog used her wit and a little luck to survive on her own.

Her owners, Scott and Kara Branton were skeptical when they received a phone call on Tuesday reporting that Abby had surfaced.

Past disappointments had tempered their expectations. They refused to get their hopes up.

None-the-less, the couple made the drive from their home in Farmington to check out the report.

Seven months earlier, they had scoured the countryside south of Berryville, placed radio ads, distributed flyers and contacted animal shelters and veterinarians in the hope of finding Abby, their three-year-old AKC registered lab, a family pet who assisted Kara with her hearing impairment.

Abby had vanished while the couple were visiting Kara's parents, Marty and Darlene Strough, at the Strough home on Crystal Mountain.

"She was my first dog," recalled Scott. "I taught her to duck hunt. She picked up the hearing part on her own from being with Kara. If someone would knock on the door or if the phone would ring, Abby would let Kara know."

Scott said he had been home from work less than a hour on Tuesday when the phone rang. The cell phone connection was poor and Scott wasn't sure what he was hearing.

"I was a bit surprised," he recalled. "I didn't know why a dog pound would call. I didn't think it was about Abby and I didn't want to get excited until I actually saw her."

The call was from Gay Lynn Easter, the animal control officer for the cities of Green Forest and Berryville who reported that she had a lab she believed was theirs.

While waiting for the Branton's to make the hour drive over to Green Forest, Easter recalled how she came to be in possession of this friendly lab who was sprawled on the floor alongside her as the two shared a dish of ice cream together.

Easter said she had noticed the pooch living in an area behind the Tyson Foods processing plant, just outside of city limits.

"I presumed she lived with people in a nearby house because she had a collar and tags," Easter remembered.

She said she didn't think much about the dog until she started getting calls from the school reporting that the lab was on the football practice field or the playground.

"I started getting calls about her because she kept going to the school wanting to be near kids," Easter said. "I could never catch her and asked the Tyson guys if they could, but they said she wouldn't come near them either."

After repeated attempts to capture the pooch, Easter finally set up a live trap. On Tuesday, she had snagged the elusive lab. Once confined, the pooch was all tail wags and smiles.

Information on the tags attached to the collar indicated that the Cornerstone Animal Hospital in Fayetteville had administered the rabies vaccination.

Easter placed the call. After a brief conversation, she said the woman on the other end cried out incredulously, "You found Abby!"

"She was shocked and couldn't believe it," Easter recalled. "She said Abby had been missing for seven months and gave me the number of Abby's owners."

Easter placed a second call, this time reaching Scott. Both Scott and Kara immediately began their drive to Green Forest to see if their long lost Abby was really found.

"We thought she was stolen," Kara remembered. "We had checked with my mom's neighbors. We looked and looked and looked. We had reported her missing to all the vet clinics and shelters. We bought an ad on the radio and called animal control in three counties. Washington County had called me a few times with labs, but they were never Abby."

This time, the call really was about Abby.

Scott and Kara knew for sure as soon as they stepped through the door at city offices where Abby was waiting.

There was a moment's hesitation until Scott spoke the name "Abby."

With that, the beautiful black lab headed directly for his arms, licking, nuzzling, crooning, in his lap, in his arms, in his face, soon going between both Scott and Kara, in obvious enjoyment All who watched were wiping away tears.

"It's her," Scott said overjoyed.

Asked what he would do with Abby upon their return home, Scott was quick to respond.

"She'll get a bath first and then we'll introduce her to her new sister, Lucy, a lab that we got two months after Abby disappeared."

Scott also noted that he had just thrown out Abby's AKC papers while clearing out a room to make way for a new baby the couple is expecting.

He was surprised that Abby had survived so long outside, saying that she was an outside dog that spent a lot of time indoors being spoiled.

Easter speculated that Abby had survived by eating chickens that are known to escape from the Tyson plant.

"Oh, the stories she could tell," Easter said. "This has made my day. I think I'm as tickled as Abby. Her tags made all the difference. Otherwise, she would have gone to the pound."

Source: http://www.carrollconews.com/story/1386999.html
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Lucy, border collie

Missing dog from Cornwall found 550 miles away
Published: 7:35AM BST 24 Jun 2009

Lucy, the 17 year-old Collie who was missing for four months

A pet dog which disappeared from its home in Cornwall four months ago has been found over 550 miles away in Scotland.

The 17-year-old collie called Lucy vanished from Sonya and William Mckerron's house in Redruth on February 6.

They spent months looking for her and had given up all hope of seeing her again until they received a call from an animal rescue centre in Edinburgh.

Lucy was found in a garden in East Lothian and the homeowners had taken her in to be scanned for a microchip.

Sonya then drove to Scotland to be reunited with her pet at the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home last Saturday.

"It feels overwhelming to see her as we didn't think we would ever find her again. I was in the house and I went to the toilet and when I came out she was gone from the drive, never to be seen again.

"We hunted high and low, phoned everybody including rescue centres and because she is chipped we thought we would find her.

"She is not a wanderer but from now on I will be keeping an eye on her so that nobody steals her."

Dave Ewing, the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home manager, said he suspected Lucy had been taken by someone rather than having just become lost.

"I am confident Lucy was taken by someone either because they thought she was genuinely lost and they were doing her a favour or they knew they shouldn't have taken her.

"When we saw her chip had a Cornish phone number we thought we would just try it but we were expecting it to be an old number and that her owners had moved.

"So the staff here were over the moon to find the owners still lived there and that they could be reunited with Lucy."

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5620360/Missing-dog-from-Cornwall-found-550-miles-away.html

Prince, maltese

Stolen Maltese Puppy Found, Reunited with Family
KTLA News
December 1, 2009

INGLEWOOD -- A seven pound Maltese puppy named "Prince" who was stolen from a locked car in an Inglewood parking lot has been found. The puppy was dropped off at a West Los Angeles animal shelter early Tuesday morning and was reunited with his owner.

"Prince" Reunited With Owner (KTLA-TV)

Tynisha Sanford, the dog's owner, says she received a call from the West L.A. animal shelter this morning claiming "Prince" had been dropped off by someone reporting they found the dog who was a stray. Sanford says KTLA's news report on the stolen dog may led to a change of heart on behalf of the thief.

The dog was stolen at 12:15 pm Sunday in the parking lot of the Superior grocery store on Crenshaw Boulevard. Sanford told police she was only in the store for 15 minutes when someone broke into her car.

A security guard spotted the man entering the car on the driver's side and then he says the man walked around to the passenger side so he could grab the dog more easily. As the man jumped into his own car and took off, police say the security guard wrote down the vehicle's license plate number. The car was described as a black or dark blue Ford Expedition. The security guard said the plate was easy to remember. It read MR BJ 1.

"Prince" is a white male (not neutered) Maltese, weighing about 7 lbs. Sanford says the dog was equipped with a microchip.

Sanford says never lost faith and was hopeful for a happy ending. "It's just not right to take something that doesn't belong to you," Sanford said. "I'm just grateful Prince is back."

Source: http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-stolen-maltese,0,6228410.story

Brooklyn, viszla

Brooklyn the Viszla's Story
as told in a thank-you note from her pet parent, sent to his listserv
May 3rd, 2010

Thank you all for the emails, phone calls and visits…we are very fortunate to have such incredible neighbors and we can’t say thank you enough.

For those of you who are interested…we have a story that should probably include the name Lassie somewhere in the title.

As you know, we lost Brooklyn on March 23…a very sad day. Our adventurous pup was sauntering about with our Nanny Marta and little Miss Olivia making their second loop on Wilton Avenue. Brooklyn was distracted by something and made off between Jay and Shanna’s house and Chris’s house for a peek at a squirrel or two. Needless to say… Brooklyn never made it home that depressing Tuesday. And on top of that, our daughter was being woken up by the clanking of the dog tags so Mr. Bright Guy had the brilliant idea of “no collar Tuesday”.

So we had fliers made up…I think to the tune of 750 and had a few dozen posters made. Ben O’Toole and his clan of friends manned their bikes, and we plastered the neighborhood. We called all vets within a 50 mile radius and visited the local shelters regularly. We took out ads in the Washington Post and Craig’s List. As desperate as we were, we brought in a professional dog tracker, sent out a Pet Amber Alert and I hate to admit it, but we even succumbed to the hair brained idea of reaching out to a psychic…all of which were a total bust. It’s amazing what we will do in times of desperation.

And then the secret weapon…Robin Siegel. Robin lives in the area and happened upon one of our posters and shot me an email….”what can I do to help?” I’ve never met her and yet she treated us like we were her family and inspired us that we were going to find Brooklyn .

Last night, Robin came across an ad on Craig’s list about a Vizsla found in Virginia, and she responded to it. Well don’t crack the champagne yet…it wasn’t our dog.

BUT…the woman, Jessie, who found that dog had come across another listing of "a Lab/Hound mix" that was happened upon in Luray , VA …101 miles from good ole Silver Spring. The woman wrote  Robin back to say “Sorry to bug you again, but we noticed this other dog (not the one we found) - I'm not sure how the humane society comes across their dogs, but we thought it worth sending to you.”

Robin passed on the note to me. I saw the adoption notice, which included a picture and immediately woke my wife…we both insisted that this was our dog. Now the picture was not a close up so we weren’t 100 percent. I drove to Centreville this morning to the humane society farm…incredible facility…someone left those folks a LOT of money.

Anyway, there she was running in a field. All the dogs announce my arrival with a chorus of barks, which grabbed our little reddish brown friend’s attention. And it’s safe to say that the staff did not need any evidence of ownership other than the massive howling, panting and whimpering…I’m speaking of the dog’s owner. Brooklyn was doing her own dance.

Now, we doubt Brooklyn made her way to Luray, Va on her own accord. We figure someone driving on Forsythe had the good intentions of caring for a collarless dog…and may have attracted her with a ham sandwich…then again a smile and a high pitch “here pup” would have sufficed. And then simply fell in love with her.

Brooklyn was found with a new collar, plump in the belly and still had her glistening coat…she was obviously well cared for. Our knucklehead dog was found on US 211 by Wallace Road …right next to the Days Inn Motel. She was scooped up by the Humane Society, given the name Annie and put up for adoption. So we surmise that on Friday her new trustees must have put her in the yard and gone off to work. And Miss Escape Artist must have had enough with her new landlords and hopped the fence looking for a way back home.

And here we are…six weeks later…we are like a pup with two peters…just loving life.

So lessons learned: leashes; micro chips; tattoos and determination in finding your dog…a family member…that our daughter Olivia calls “Sister”. And having good people like Robin Siegel who care enough to just help a strange family and their dog reunite. We offered Robin the reward money…she graciously refused. We will be making a donation to the Humane Society in Robin’s name.

WOOF
Brandon, Andi, Olivia and Brooklyn

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/robinsiegel/4461566886

Rose, coonhound

Lost dog found safe and sound
Marina employees chase and corner coonhound on Forrester St.
By David Rogers, Staff writer
August 13, 2010

NEWBURYPORT — A Manhattan family was reunited with its lost coonhound yesterday, five days after it jumped out of a car window in downtown Newburyport.

Owner Laura Bell said Rose was found around noon on Forrester Street by six employees of the Newburyport Boat Basin.

Bell said the 65-pound black and tan dog suffered abrasions to her paws and belly and was covered in ticks but, otherwise, was doing well.

"She's good; we're thrilled," Bell said.

Bell said the employees of the Merrimac Street marina began chasing her as a team, coordinating their efforts by using walkie-talkie-like phones. Eventually, they cornered Rose inside a fenced-in yard and was able to collect her.

"They got her. It was incredible," Bell said, likening the chase to the famous car chase scene in the classic film, "The French Connection."

Rose was taken to the Carr Island Animal Hospital on Merrimac Street, where Ann Craig examined her and cleared her release.

Bell said she tried to give the marina employees $500 and a 12-pack of beer as a reward. They refused the money, "but they took the 12-pack, and they're going to use it for their softball game," she said.

Bell and her family were visiting friends in the Newburyport area and were getting ready to return home last Sunday. Rose was with another dog inside a car being driven by a family friend when the car stopped at a red light on the corner of High and State streets. Rose jumped out of an open window and quickly disappeared.

Bell said she and Rose will remain in the area until Sunday to give the dog more time outdoors before the long car ride back to New York City. But Bell said she will still be thinking of all those in Newburyport who helped her and her family find Rose. Following the dog's disappearance, shop owners put up missing dog signs, and people called her often, offering their prayers and their help.

"It was amazing. I was blown away by the generosity and the support from the community," Bell said. "I feel like any place else, it wouldn't have ended like this."

Source: http://www.newburyportnews.com/local/x208445078/Lost-dog-found-safe-and-sound
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Lady, hound

Runaway dog captured after 7-month-hunt
By Jennifer Sprague, Press staff
Wednesday, June 3, 2009 11:29 PM EDT

MIDDLETOWN — After nearly seven months on the run, and after surviving a frigid winter, Lady the missing hound has been found.

Lady, captured over Memorial Day weekend, is a one and a half to two-year-old dog that ran away from her adoptive owners last November after having been with them for only a few hours. Since then, residents have been aiding Middletown Animal Control Officer Gail Petras in capturing her.

Lady ran away from her owners just hours after they adopted her from the Connecticut Humane Society last November. After she managed to evade capture several times, the hound surrendered over Memorial Day weekend.

Middletown Animal Control Officer Gail Petras has been trying to catch the skittish pooch since she ran away from her new owners with her leash still attached during a walk near Indian Hill Cemetery.

During her seven-month trek around the city, Lady was spotted around the Wesleyan campus before reportedly heading to the Bretton Road area. She was spotted near the Elks Lodge on Maynard Street and near Connecticut Valley Hospital, dragging her bright pink leash for months.

“She obviously has very good survival instincts to last through the frigid winter,” Petras said. “It’s rare we have a dog like this that’s out for so long.”

Petras said three or four weeks would pass between sightings of the runaway hound, but she would always turn up. There were times they thought she had died, but she managed to get by without frostbite or significant weight loss.

At one point, she wandered into a fenced backyard and Petras thought they had caught her, but she found a hole under the fence and dug her way out. She returned to the same yard, where the hole had been filled in, but when the owner closed her in the yard, she jumped the four-foot fence.

In early March, the night before a bad snowstorm, Lady popped up in Ruth and Cliff Drechsler-Martells’ doghouse on Ridge Road.

Ruth Drechsler-Martell left food for Lady twice a day for nearly three months. Lady came and ate, never letting anyone close to her. Drechsler-Martell even tried leaving a trail of cookies to lure Lady closer to the house.

“We couldn’t get near her,” Drechsler-Martell said. “She would run away.”

Then, over Memorial Day weekend, Lady waltzed through the open door of a house near the Higganum line on Saybrook Road, and curled up on the living room floor. The homeowners were having a barbecue and assumed one of their guests brought the dog, but after all their guests had departed, Lady was still there. The hound was still wearing her tags from the Humane Society, so her rightful owners were contacted.

Shocked to find their dog was still alive, the owners told Petras they couldn’t keep Lady.

“She was missing for seven months,” Petras said. “The owners went out and got a new dog. They can only have one dog in the apartment. They really only owned her for about four hours.”

The Drechsler-Martells are considering adopting Lady, but they first need to see how their 9-year-old dog, used to ruling the roost, reacts to the approximately 2-year-old hound mix. Plus, there is always the possibility that she will take another road trip, Drechsler-Martell said.

Sitting on the floor at the dog pound Wednesday, Lady let Drechsler-Martell, Petras and Cromwell Animal Control Officer Cheryl Gagon pet her and feed her treats, but she was shy and calm. She is not aggressive, and Petras does not believe she was abused.

“Her instinct is to run away if she is scared,” Petras said. “She doesn’t act like she was abused.

I think she was just under-socialized.”

Petras said Lady loves other dogs; she is spayed and she has all of her shots.

Source: http://www.middletownpress.com/articles/2009/06/03/news/doc4a273e995236e228585703.txt
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Ike, black labrador

After two years apart, Portland man and his dog are reunited
Steve Beaven, The Oregonian
Published: Sunday, March 07, 2010

Roger Mallette couldn't believe it when a caller told him that, almost two years later, his dog had turned up.

The story of the man, his dog and the lost and found began on a spring day two years ago near an open field in Chicago.

Roger Mallette was playing with his black lab, Ike, when his cell phone buzzed. Mallette turned around, took the call and Ike took off.

"It was extremely painful," Mallette said Sunday at his office in Southeast Portland. "I never got over it."

For the longest time, it seemed to Mallette the story would end right there and he'd never see Ike again. It seemed like all he could do was nurse his broken heart and tell friends about the dog that got away. But then, late last year, Mallette got a phone call and the whole story changed.

Mallette, who is 45, found Ike on Craigslist in 2004 when he lived in Seattle. He went to pick him up and found his new friend in a muddy backyard, bounding around, full of energy. This did not bode well.

Ike is a runner. If he's not on a leash, he'll sniff around and take off. Mallette estimates that in their first few months together, Ike ran away five or six times.

But Mallette always managed to find his dog. He gave Ike a rabies tag and had a microchip implanted between Ike's shoulder blades, both of which identified Mallette as his owner.

Together, in early 2007, Ike and Mallette moved to Chicago. It was there, in spring 2008, when Mallette took that fateful cell phone call.

He'd taken Ike off the leash to play ball with him in a grassy lot. One minute, Ike was running around, chasing the ball. The next minute: gone.

Mallette put up fliers and placed an ad on Craigslist. No luck. He eventually gave up, too distraught to get another dog.

In late 2008, Mallette moved to Portland. He owns and operates a company that makes cycling jerseys and he wanted to be in the sport's epicenter.

This is where he met his fiance, Elizabeth Everman. He told her all about Ike.

"I'd heard all these stories about him," said Everman. "Roger, whenever we saw a lab, would almost tear up."

That's where the story stood in early December, 2009.

Then early one morning, when Mallette was asleep, he got a phone call. It was a woman from a dog shelter southwest of Chicago. She had Ike, she said on the voice mail. Call us back.

"I about fell out of bed," Mallette said. "I was in utter disbelief. I was so caught-off-guard I was hoarse. I could barely talk."

Apparently, Ike had run away again and someone in Romeoville, Ill., southwest of Chicago, called the animal control department. An officer came and picked Ike up.

After the microchip and the rabies tag confirmed that Mallette was the owner, Mary Helton gave him a call from the shelter.

"He started crying," Helton recalled.

With help from a friend, Mallette had Ike flown to Portland several days later.

Now when he tells the story about his dog, it has a happy ending.

"I have to say man, it's the coolest thing," Mallette said. "The greatest gift the universe has ever given me."

Source: http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/03/after_two_years_apart_portland.html
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Cisco, chihuahua

Family Finds Dog Missing for Nearly a Year
The dog from South Carolina was found in Burien
KCPQ     Q13 FOX News Online
1:55 PM PDT, August 7, 2010

BURIEN   A spotted white and brown Chihuahua was at long last reunited with his humans this week after the dog went missing nearly one year ago.

"Buster Brown" was deemed a stray when he showed up in the backyard of a Burien home last month. Burien Animal Care and Control took the dog in, put him on a routine 3-day hold and then neutered and readied him for adoption. Buster's caretakers didn't realize the dog already had a home...on the other side of the country.

BACC listed Buster with all of their other adoptable animals at PetFinder.com. It's a website that was closely being watched by the Jackson family in South Carolina.

Long-haul trucker Eddie Jackson was staying at a Tacoma hotel in September of 2009 when his own Chihuahua disappeared. Jackson went to authorities, fearing the dog had been stolen, but no leads were ever found.

Ten months later, the Jacksons recognized Buster on PetFinder and recently made a week-long trip across the country to claim him as their lost dog , Cisco.

The Jacksons will soon begin their trek back to South Carolina with Cisco. After that, it's unclear if Cisco's traveling days will be behind him.

Source: q13fox.com /news/kcpq-080710-missing-dog-found,0,974984.story
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Emma, yellow lab

Missing Service Dog Found!
Reported by: Lori Hinkle
Last Update: 7/27 11:33 am

After nearly one week, a service dog has been returned to her owner.

more pics of Emma here

Emma is a nine year old yellow lab that has been not only a best friend, but a service dog to a paralyzed veteran. Forrest Ward is the owner of the dog and has reaped the benefits of her many talents for eight years.

Emma was found off of Sharit Dairy Road in the Morris/Gardendale area early this morning by a neighborhood resident. Upon seeing Forrest, a friend says Emma's eyes lit up and she hopped in his lap.

When she went missing, Emma did not have a vest or collar on because the two of them were playing in the Morris/ Mt. Olive area. The sound of a gunshot was heard and the lab took off.

Friends of Forrest and residents in the Morris area were persistent in passing out flyers and spreading the word. Being a service dog, she has specific training needs and is not used to being outside.

The woman who found Emma believes the thunderstorm pushed her out of where she was hiding, so it was a strike of good luck that she was spotted.

Emma means everything to Forrest and he appreciates all the help and concern that made it possible for him to be reunited with her.

Source: http://www.cbs42.com/content/localnews/story/Missing-Service-Dog-Found/EynmG8pZY0uA39FA_Tmf7A.cspx

Bear, German shepherd

Lost service dog found and returned
By Ed McMenamin, Pekin Daily Times
Posted Aug 03, 2010 @ 08:00 AM

PEKIN, Ill. — After more than a year, Barb Meskimen was pretty sure she’d never see Bear, her German shepherd, ever again.

Barb and Joey Meskimen play with their service dog "Bear" in front of their Pekin home Friday afternoon

Bear disappeared last May in an especially cruel turn of fate — he was her son Joey’s service animal. Bear was chained to his wheelchair ramp, and then suddenly gone, likely stolen.

“Bear never left the yard, ever, because he was specifically trained as a service dog,” she said. “And Bear had a shocker collar on him because he could, at times, get male aggressive.”

The collar was never found, but this week, across town from Meskimen’s southside home, a stray German shepherd was spotted by the Rob and Joyce DeBoer family.

“It was roaming the neighborhood and I chased it down,” Rob DeBoer said. “It took me about a half hour or so. Eventually we got it into the backyard, got it some water, and filled up the plastic pool for him to play in.”

DeBoer called Pekin Veterinary Clinic, and an employee came out on her lunch break to see if the dog was fitted with an identification microchip. Luckily, Bear had a chip, and soon the DeBoers had Meskimen on the phone.

“It was just the making of a happy day,” Rob said. “It was the most warm feeling you could get. It’s overwhelming warmness. I don’t know how to explain it.”

Bear had been cautious around Rob and Joyce. But as soon as he saw Meskimen, it was like no time had passed and Bear greeted her enthusiastically, she said.

“I don’t know if I should say I’m in seventh heaven or happier than hell,” she said a few hours after being reunited with Bear on Thursday. “My son said to me ... ‘Mom, I got something to live for now.’”

Bear had been about 2 years old when he was stolen, she said, and they had already put several hundred dollars into his special service training, not to mention the $300 purchase price and additional veterinary bills. Now they have a chance to finish the training, though she said the dog has lost some of what he learned last year.

“Thank God we had a microchip put in him,” Meskimen said. “We invested a lot of training in that dog.”

Bear is in fairly good shape, if a bit skinny, and walking with a slight limp, Meskimen said. And his teeth need cleaning.

Bear was found wearing a spiked choke collar, all but confirming the fact that he was stolen.

“I don’t like that,” Meskimen said. “I’ve never had one of those on my dog.”

Meskimen is well known to animal lovers in Pekin as the founder of the Bark and Purr Pet Pantry. Since its opening in May 2009, it has provided food to thousands of hungry pets. After a brief hiatus, the pantry is now back open.

“There have been a lot of people that thought they saw Bear,” she said. “When they’d come in they’d see his picture.

“We’re taking Bear with us (to the pet pantry). We want everybody to see that Bear’s home.”

Source: http://www.pekintimes.com/features/x272788669/Lost-service-dog-found-and-returned

Chihuahua tied to a tree

Lost dog reunited with owner today
By Rick Dandes, The Daily Item
July 9, 2010

NORTHUMBERLAND — A Chihuahua found tied to a tree in blistering 100-plus-degree heat on Tuesday has been reunited with its owner.

Point Township police reported this morning that the dog was lost and located far away from its home. It has since been reunited with its family, police said.

The dog was found on Tuesday in the area of Ridge Road near Hookies Grove Road and taken to the Sunbury Animal Hospital for treatment.

"She's doing fine," a hospital worker said late Thursday afternoon while holding the dog in her lap. "I call her Cutie, because she's so sweet and friendly."

Source: http://dailyitem.com/0100_news/x2016066533/Abandoned-dog-found-tied-to-tree

Another version of the story:

NORTHUMBERLAND - A little dog found abandoned by the roadside and thought left for dead has been returned to its owner.

The female Chihuahua, abandoned and tied to a tree in the scorching heat, was rescued Tuesday by Point Township police and taken to the Sunbury Animal Hospital. Police were called to the area of Ridge Road near Hookies Grove Road after someone reported the pooch.

By the time officers arrived, the white-and-tan Chihuahua was lying on the roadside. They initially thought the dog was dead and it looked bruised and beaten.

Police took the dog to the vet and thought maybe the animal had been thrown from a car and left to die.

But through numerous calls police were able to find the dog's owner who lives in Point Township and the dog was returned safely to their owner.   Jim Diehl (WGRC)

Millie, black lab

Family reunited with Lab lost for weeks
By Marisela Burgos
Posted: Jun 18, 2010

NEW ALBANY, IN (WAVE) - A Southern Indiana family has been reunited with their 2-year-old Lab, Millie, who had been missing for more than two weeks.

Millie disappeared June 1 after someone stole the couple's truck - with Millie inside. Harry Perissi had parked his truck outside Lowe's in Clarksville because he planned to purchase trees from the store for his landscaping business. He says he rolled up his windows and left Millie inside with the keys in the ignition for about 10 minutes. When he walked out, the truck was gone. And so was Millie.

Oldham County Police officers found the Perissi's truck 11 days later, as they investigated a report about another crime at a home in Crestwood, KY. Sgt. Neil Johnson said Victor Burba was trying to steal appliances from his sister, using the Perissi's truck. Sgt. Johnson said there was no sign of Millie.

After the Perissi family shared their story, a Kentucky family called our station, saying they believed they had found Millie.

"I don't know how she wound up here," Barney Egerton said.

Barney and, his wife, Vicki, said Millie walked onto their front yard at their Trimble County home on June 2nd.

"We knew she missed somebody," Barney said. "We were gonna keep her, unless, we could find the real owners and it just worked out."

He said they tried to look for the owners, but did not know who they were until Thursday night. "My brother-in-law was watching the game and he switched over to Channel 3 and [saw] the story," Barney said.

Vicki says she remembered when Millie appeared on their front yard.

"She came into the yard," Vickie said. "She watched for about a day and then, I guess, she figured out we were okay. She would watch the cars go by like she was watching for someone to come and get her."

Heather and Harry Perissi picked up Millie early Friday after the Egertons called them.

"When we pulled up to the house, she was on the front porch and we said her name and she came running," Heather said.

"I'm grateful," Heather continued. "My husband is extremely grateful. The fact that they took such good care of her, we are just overjoyed."

While the Egertons are happy Millie has been reunited with her family, they say they're going to miss her.

"How can you not love her?" asked Vickie. "She's something else."

Burba faces several charges in Kentucky and Indiana - in Kentucky he's charged with burglary, assault, and receiving stolen property. In Indiana, he's charged with auto theft and theft - for stealing Millie.

Source: http://www.wave3.com/Global/story.asp?S=12674855
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Also see http://newsandtribune.com/local/x657337341/Welcome-home-Millie-Couple-reunited-with-stolen-dog-after-18-days

Teddy Bear, Irish wolfhound

Lost dog reunited with family after 4 years in N.C. wilderness
Posted to: News Pets North Carolina Login or register to post comments
By Erin James, The Virginian-Pilot
August 14, 2010

Back home in New Bern, N.C., Leigh and Greg Wilkinson gather Friday, Aug. 13, 2010, with Teddy Bear, the dog they lost near Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in 2006.

MANTEO, N.C. Merri Jo Alford knew what she was looking for.

Hidden somewhere at the Outer Banks SPCA among stacks of paperwork buried in long-forgotten cardboard boxes were a few pieces of paper stapled together. On them, Alford knew, would be the names and phone number of a New Bern, N.C., couple with whom she'd spoken so many years ago.

But how much time had passed? Had it been two years, Alford wondered, or three? Could it really have been four years since Greg and Leigh Wilkinson desperately filed a lost-dog report?

Alford knew one thing for sure: T he skinny dog with matted fur that she had rescued near Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge was the pooch the Wilkinsons had lost on a canoeing trip years ago.

She remembered the distinctive-looking dog from the flyers the Wilkinsons posted. She remembered their persistence in looking for her.

Finally, on Wednesday, Alford - an animal-control officer who goes by the nickname "Josie" - found the report.

It was dated Nov. 19, 2006. Reality set in for Alford and her colleagues.

Four winters and three summers Teddy Bear survived in a wilderness heavily populated with bears, alligators and wolves. Her owners can only speculate as to how she did it.

On the day Teddy Bear went missing, the Wilkinsons had been canoeing on a creek near the wildlife refuge. They were preparing to head home - Teddy Bear was already in the car - when the dog jumped out an open window and ran into the woods.

She'd done this before, but she always came back. After 20 minutes, the Wilkinsons began to worry.

They searched for eight hours but never found any sign of Teddy Bear. Greg Wilkinson remembered calling for Teddy as he trudged knee-deep through the swamp.

On the spot where they last saw their dog, the Wilkinsons left an open can of sausages. They found a hotel for the night and were back the next day at first light.

Again, they searched. They posted flyers and talked to anyone who would listen. They filed a lost-dog report with the local SPCA. They placed an ad in the local newspaper. With permission, the Wilkinsons searched the refuge after dark.

Some tips came in, but it was never Teddy Bear. The Wilkinsons worried that their shy dog might never approach a stranger and, therefore, might never be found.

In the end, they were right. Teddy Bear never did approach a stranger, even for a few locals who had been leaving food and water outside for her for years. She owes her homecoming to Alford, who set a humane-cage trap for the dog after one local reported seeing a stray dog in the area. Teddy Bear was found in a community called East Lake, not far from where she went missing.

Teddy Bear, an Irish wolfhound mix, now sat waiting in an SPCA kennel. Within minutes, Alford was calling the Wilkinsons' number. She got their answering machine, left a message.

Leigh Wilkinson went home that day for lunch. Two messages were waiting. As she listened to the second one, time stood still.

"I just stood there, and I played it again," Wilkinson, 50, said. "And then I started crying."

She called Alford. Then she called her husband to tell him the news.

Greg Wilkinson braced his wife for disappointment. So many times before, the Wilkinsons had traveled back to the Outer Banks to search for Teddy Bear or anyone who might have seen her.

In response to a tip, they once traveled to Plymouth, N.C., on the outside chance that Teddy Bear had traveled U.S. 64 and crossed the Alligator River bridge.

"You never give up faith. You never give up hope. But you get discouraged," Greg Wilkinson, 61, said.

Staff at the SPCA snapped a few pictures of the dog in the kennel and e-mailed them to the Wilkinsons.

When they saw the photos, all doubt disappeared.

She was shaggier and skinnier, but it was Teddy Bear in those photos.

The Wilkinsons left immediately. On their three-hour trip to the SPCA, excitement gave way to anxiety.

Would Teddy Bear recognize them? Would she be healthy? Had she been transformed into a wild animal?

Would she be angry?

The chances of finding a dog after four years is "incredibly rare," said SPCA International spokeswoman Stephanie Scott.

"I personally cannot think of a story like this," Scott said.

At the Outer Banks SPCA, lost-dog reports are an endless challenge for staff. Shelter Director Rich Crino said the shelter files an average of 100 lost-dog reports each year.

Many dogs are found within hours. But as time passes, so do the odds of ever finding a lost animal, Crino said. Four years is far more than an exception to the rule.

"I've never even heard of anything like that before," Crino said.

"I really felt like she was out there somewhere, but I wasn't really sure that we'd ever get her," Leigh Wilkinson said.

Teddy Bear perked up when the Wilkinsons walked through the door of the shelter. A shy dog by nature, Teddy had hardly interacted with any SPCA staff since arriving 13 days before.

"She came right up to us. She knew us. She started sniffing around our faces. She let us rub on her," Leigh Wilkinson said.

The Wilkinsons scooped Teddy Bear up and drove back to New Bern. For the first time in almost four years, Teddy Bear jumped up onto the couch and rested in what had always been her favorite spot. She was home.

Teddy Bear, now 6 years old, is on antibiotics for skin problems and will begin heartworm treatment soon. Otherwise, she's in surprisingly good shape.

"She is like the same gentle, sweet, loving Teddy," Leigh Wilkinson said.

The Wilkinsons said they plan to purchase a tracking collar for Teddy Bear - just in case. They are also planning more canoe trips.

As for Alford, the Wilkinsons said they can't thank her enough for working so diligently.

Alford calls it "just a good memory day."

And as she speaks, cardboard boxes collect dust behind her.

Source: http://hamptonroads.com/node/565212

Another version of the story at: http://www.witn.com/stateregional/headlines/99996634.html

Story Comment Posted by: Leigh Location: New Bern on Aug 5, 2010 at 09:46 AM

As the owner of Teddy Bear, I just want to thank everyone in the East Lake area who may have helped Teddy these past years and especially to Josie and all the great folks at the Dare County SPCA for making the extra effort to research past files (going back 4 years!) to find the poster of Teddy Bear that we made and distributed throughout that area back in November 2006. This is a great news story - one of hope and perserverance and of people doing more than is required in their jobs because they know it is the right thing to do. Teddy Bear is getting reaquainted with our house and our new dog, Santee, but she's the same old Teddy - sweet and gentle and loving. We are so blessed and so happy to have our girl back where she belongs.

More comments at: http://www.witn.com/stateregional/headlines/99996634.html?storySection=comments

Squirt, yorkie

Lost dog reunited with delighted and worried owner from Kansas

Sept 4, 2009

Squirt’s back in Kansas, but what an adventure he’s had.

Rose Johnson, owner of the 11-year-old Yorkshire terrier, probably thought the 10-pound pooch ended up as a snack for an eagle or coyote after the dog went missing during a visit to Langlade County earlier this summer.

“Squirt decided to go on a walkabout without Rose’s permission,” Pat Anderson of the Langlade County Humane Society, said. “For weeks, a frantic Rose drove all over looking for him. She reported him missing to the police and the Langlade County Humane Society but finally had to return to Kansas without him.”

The Yorkie was tiny, but tough. There were regular sightings of Squirt around the Bass Lake area, Anderson said, and people aware of the situation left food on their porches and decks, hoping to capture the little absconder.

“He was scared and quick and couldn’t be caught,” Anderson said.

And he walked a long way on tiny paws, traveling from Bass Lake down Highway B to Bogus Road and probably plenty of points in-between.

Finally, after three weeks on the lam, Squirt showed up at Wayne and Donna Jester’s home and, after getting treats twice a day for a while, allowed himself to be caught.

The Jesters notified Anderson, who got in touch with Johnson.

“Rose had kept calling the humane society for updates and was ecstatic to hear that after three weeks, her dog had been found,” Anderson said.

Johnson, accompanied by her grandson, Jacob, jumped in her car and made the 14-hour trip from Kansas to Antigo for what Anderson termed “a tearful and happy” reunion.

“She had to turn around and drive back the same day, Anderson said. “She gives a million thanks to everyone who tried to catch Squirt.”

Anderson said that if Johnson had not reported her dog missing to law enforcement and the humane society the outcome could have been very different.

“A good lesson was learned from this experience,” she said.

Source: http://www.antigodailyjournal.com/full.php?id=9094

Wally, basset hound

Coworkers, coincidence help Wally come home
Seipert pet no worse for wear after two-week Central Oregon adventure
By Mara Stine, The Gresham Outlook
Aug 26, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009

Gresham Police Department employee Heidi Seipert, right, was recently reunited with her basset hound, Wally, who came up missing on a camping trip in central Oregon over the Fourth of July holiday. Another City Hall employee, Susan Clark, left, found the dog July 20 about 10 miles from where he was lost. Wally, the lost but found basset hound, is the thing of Disney movies and children’s books.

After two weeks of wandering in Central Oregon, Wally reunited with his Sandy owner — a reunion made possible by a lot of luck, coincidence and a few degrees of separation between Gresham City Hall employees.

Heidi Seipert was camping and four-wheeling with her husband, Scott, and their two children, Audrey, 10, and Ben, 6, in rural Wasco County over the Fourth of July weekend when their two dogs took off chasing something.

Initially, “we weren’t too worried,” Heidi said. The campsite was in the middle of nowhere and they were miles from the nearest road, so she didn’t think a car would hit them.

“We thought they’d come back,” she said.

Throughout that day on Saturday, July 5, they kept an eye out while riding around on all-terrain vehicles. But by evening, the dogs still hadn’t returned.

“It was really unlike them,” Heidi said.

The family made signs out of paper plates and posted them in the area, with an extra large sign on Road 48. They also posted them at Sportsman Pub & Grub in Wamic about 8 miles away.

At 9:30 p.m., a man left a message on Heidi’s cellular phone. He’d seen the signs and found Ozzy, her chocolate Labrador retriever, walking on Road 48. But he hadn’t seen Wally, their basset hound.

Ozzy was about 2 miles from the campsite, so Heidi and her family focused their search for Wally there. They looked until 5 p.m. on Sunday, July 6, but with still no sign of the dog, Heidi made the heart-breaking decision to leave without him.

“I had to go home … but I was devastated,” she said.

She tried to think positively.

“I thought it might be a day or two, but someone would find him,” Heidi said. Although Wally wasn’t wearing his collar, he had a microchip allowing any vet to identify his owners.

Every day, Heidi thought today would be the day someone would call.

But nobody did.

Midweek, she drove the two hours back to the campsite and spent all day yelling his name — “WALL-E!”— into a megaphone.

Still, nothing.

Heidi checked with nearby campground hosts, animal shelters and the local sheriff’s office.

Nothing.

As the two-week mark approached, Heidi accepted the worst.

“I just realized that he wasn’t coming back,” she said. “That he’d probably been eaten or hit by a car.”

On Thursday, July 17, Heidi, who works as a records clerk at the Gresham Police Department, got an invitation from a coworker Jill Mick to a barbecue at her parent’s Gresham house.

Mick’s parents were spending the weekend in Rock Creek at their vacation home.

“That’s where Wally disappeared,” Heidi said. Jill immediately called her parents — Jim and Susan Clark, who works as a payroll coordinator at Gresham City Hall — to put them on Wally alert.

“I really did not think they would find him,” Heidi said.

But they did.

It was very early, about 6:30 a.m. Sunday, July 20, and Susan and her husband were on their front deck drinking coffee. Susan had been craving a campfire since the night before when bloodthirsty mosquitoes forced her inside, so she took her coffee out back to build a morning campfire there.

But her dog — Katie, a yellow Labrador retriever — ran out of the house toward a neighbor who walks her three dogs next to the home every morning.

As Susan approached the neighbor, they laughed about Katie’s predictability.

“Oh, your dog’s fine, but I’m not so sure about that one,” the woman said, gesturing to a brown basset hound behind her. “It showed up in my yard yesterday, ate all the dog food and followed me here.”

Susan took one look at the dog and went berserk.

“Oh my God!” she cried to her husband. “Honey, it’s Wally.”

Hearing his name, Wally’s ears perked up.

“All of the sudden you could just see this change, like ‘Oh my God, somebody knows me,’ ” Susan said.

She took him inside and called her daughter, Jill, who called Heidi.

“They found him,” Jill squealed.

Heidi, who was working, didn’t know what she was talking about.

“Who found who?” Heidi replied.

“They found Wally,” Jill said.

As Heidi recalls, she was in shock. She thinks she cried a little.

Susan’s friend offered to drop Wally off at Heidi’s home in Sandy, but “that wasn’t going to fly,” Heidi said. She made the two-hour drive to Susan’s house in record speed.

When Heidi pulled up, Wally was on Susan’s back porch.

“Wally, your mommy’s here,” Susan told the dog, who didn’t move a muscle.

But as Heidi walked toward him, she called his name.

Wally sprang up and ran her way as fast as his short little legs would carry him.

“The way he was howling, it was like he was telling her all about what happened during his journey,” Susan said.

Heidi estimated that Wally walked between 6 and 8 miles from the campsite and Susan’s house. He had giardia, another gastro-intestinal parasite and a cut paw, but had only lost 3 pounds from his solid 70-pound frame.

After nearly two days of sleeping, the once exhausted pup is back to his playful self. Heidi, meanwhile, still marvels at how all the pieces that led to Wally being found fell into place.

“It really is amazing,” she said. “It’s just a pretty neat coincidence and we’re happy to have him home. So happy to have him home.

Oh, and one more thing.

“I will never, never ever go anywhere without his collar on again,” she said.

Source: http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=121980344761984100
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Holly, lab mix

Couple are reunited with beloved dog after discovering picture pinned to pet shop noticeboard four years later
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 11:51 PM on 26th July 2010

When Dennis and Kath Tyler's beloved Holly disappeared, they never gave up on finding her. But as the days turned to weeks, then months, it seemed only a miracle could bring Holly back.

Then, on a chance visit to a pet shop four and a half years later, they saw a picture of her on a notice board.

She had been rescued from death row, had lost some weight and some fur, but Dennis, 53 and Kath, 50, from Eagle Moor, Lincoln, were certain it was her.

Reunited: Dennis and Kath Tyler found Holly (left) after nearly five years apart

'We still can't believe it, nobody can,' said Dennis. 'We used to slow down in the car every time we saw a dog like her, just in the slight hope it might be her.

'But the truth is that we thought maybe the worst had happened. The best we hope for was that somebody had found her and would be looking after her well.'

Where Holly, a labrador cross, had been for those years will probably remain a mystery forever, but she was found an hour's drive away in Doncaster, and by pure fluke was sent to kennels in Nottinghamshire, close to her original home.

She was fostered by a dog lover in Lincoln, and her picture was posted at the Pets At Home store.

Home at last: No one knows where Holly disappeared to nearly five years ago.

'We saw the picture and we were pretty sure it was her,' said Dennis, a farm manager.

'But it was only when we got her home that we were completely sure. She knew her way around instantly. She must have recognised me because as soon as we met she let tickle her ears. She hadn't let anybody else go near her.

'We brought her home and she went straight to her room where she used to sleep. When we got inside the house she went through the kitchen and the lounge and was at the door of the room where she used to sleep in a basket on a bed.'

Val Hosegood, of Halfway Home Dog Rescue in Nottinghamshire, rescued Holly from destruction. She had been handed in as a stray and because of her age - she's now 14 - and poor condition, nobody wanted her.

'I went to the pound to collect some other dogs and there was this little black dog curled up and looking in a pretty bad way,' said Val. 'She was ready to be put down. Had we not taken her she would definitely have been put down. We are very happy she is now back with her family.'

Val rescued her from the Mount Pleasant Kennels, near Doncaster, had her checked by a vet, and placed her with a foster carer while she tried to find the owner.
Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1297840/Couple-dogs-picture-pinned-notice-board-reunited-years.html#
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