Bear, golden

Lost dog, owner reunited after drama
Golden retriever goes home after legal adoption by another family
By Salatheia Bryant, Houston Chronicle
Sept. 16, 2006, 12:53AM

Christina Porreca plays with her golden retriever Bear, who she says got lost and was adopted by a family before Porreca was able to find her.

A day after the day she thought would never come, Christina Porreca was as ecstatic as a new mother.

Her beloved Bear was back home with the rest of her four-legged "babies" after weeks of negotiations with a breed rescue group to win the dog's return from the family who legally adopted her.

The reunion came Thursday night, an hour after the scheduled meeting time — but not before she handed over a $250 check, money borrowed on her mother's credit card — to cover the expense of caring for Bear.

"It's good to be a happy, happy family again," Porreca said Friday. "Now, she's going to be spoiled rotten."

Porreca's six-week lost-dog drama started July 28, when Bear escaped from her son's yard after a child left the gate open. Porreca searched local public and private shelters. It wasn't until she logged on to the Golden Retriever Rescue of Houston's Web site three weeks later that she discovered Bear had been adopted. The new family was calling her Ella.

Patti Page, president of the group, said that while Porreca may be happy, Bear's return leaves another family who had bonded with the dog unhappy.

Page said it took time to investigate Porreca's claim that "Ella Bear," as she refers to her, belonged to her.

Page noted there were things Porreca could have done, such as having an identifying microchip embedded under Bear's skin and putting up "lost dog" posters in the neighborhood, that could have speeded the dog's return.

"What would have been best if she would have found her before she was adopted," said Page said. "The adopter adopted Ella in good faith. Legally, it was her dog. She wanted to do what was best."

Porreca said she will get Bear microchipped. She also plans to take more pictures of Bear.

"I felt like it should have been (over) sooner," Porreca said. "But if this was the ordeal I had to go through to get her back then I'll do it."

Source: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/4190984.html