Author: Nick Mays
Thursday, 03 March 2011
A MISSING dog has been reunited with his owner after four years, thanks to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home.
Clifford the Staffordshire Bull Terrier went missing in 2008, during which time 28 dog years have passed. Clifford escaped from his home in Enfield after the door was accidentally left open, and owner Mark Lapinid spent months searching for him. Mark registered lost reports with local councils, the police and Battersea’s Lost Dogs & Cats Line.
Mark had previously microchipped Clifford, and knew if ever the dog appeared at a vet or rescue centre, the microchip would show Mark’s contact details. But as the years passed, Mark began to lose hope of ever seeing his much loved dog.
However earlier this month Clifford was brought into Battersea by a member of the public. Battersea staff scanned him for a microchip and quickly located Mark’s details, before getting in touch.
Mark explains: “When I heard from Battersea I came straight down to the centre, I couldn’t believe it, and my whole family were so excited. We all thought Clifford was gone forever.”
As soon as Clifford saw Mark he jumped up excitedly, wagging his tail and licking his long-lost owner. Mark adds: “Seeing Clifford again is amazing. I don’t know what he’s been up to for four years, but I hope he’s been well looked after, perhaps living with another family.”
Clifford was one and a half years old when he went missing, so had grown considerably over the years, but Mark recognised him straight away. He says: “Clifford was the runt of the litter, but he had a little white marking on his chest in the shape of a ‘T’, and my family are Tottenham fans, so he was made for us. He’s still got the mark now. I’d recognise him anywhere.”
Battersea Lost & Found Assistant Kayleigh Parr helped Mark when he visited Battersea. She explains: “It was fantastic to be able to reunite Mark and Clifford after four years. It really highlights the importance of microchipping, because it meant we could quickly locate Mark’s details on the central microchip database. It’s also really important to keep your contact details up to date with your chip provider, as you never know when your pet could go missing.”
Anyone who loses or finds a dog or cat should call Battersea’s Lost Dogs & Cats Line. In 2009, Battersea received over 6,000 lost reports from owners whose pets had gone missing and nearly 10,000 found reports from people who had found a dog or cat, successfully reuniting 1,989 dogs and 100 cats with their owners.
Source: http://www.londondogforum.co.uk/item.do?item=774 or http://www.londondogforum.co.uk/lost-dog-reunited-with-owner-four-years-on-i774.html
Printer-friendly version here
No comments:
Post a Comment