Sheltered dog escapes and is saved
By Matt Cozzi
Created: Saturday, June 11, 2011
Ivory is a dog that ran away to Wisconsin from Helping Paws in Woodstock. The Broncatti family eventually found the dog and traveled to Helping Paws to officially adopt the dog on Friday.
WOODSTOCK – Michelle Moberg held back tears. She’d worked with animals almost her entire life, but never had she experienced anything like this past week.
The Helping Paws kennel assistant was both upbeat and emotional Friday afternoon as a month-plus search for one of the animal shelter’s dogs came to a close after a family in Wisconsin decided to adopt the hound.
That dog is Ivory, a white Great Pyrenees mixed breed that ran away from Helping Paws on May 7 and was found 54 miles away in Mukwonago, Wis.
Helping Paws staff said they could recall one other dog who got away previously, but in that instance, the dog already had been adopted and was with a family.
“[Ivory’s] the only one that’s [ran away] and traveled as far as he has,” Moberg said. “He got pretty far. … I’d looked for Ivory for hours and hours, put ads around McHenry County. I thought we’d never hear anything.”
Ivory’s trek eventually led him to the Minors Homestead neighborhood in Mukwonago, where Karen Broncatti, whose family has two dogs and two cats, first interacted with their furry friend 2½ weeks ago.
“We would be on walks, and [Ivory] would follow us home,” Broncatti said. “Every morning, he’d be lying on the front yard, waiting for us to come out and play. We started to feed him, and got closer and closer, and finally, we were able to put a leash over his head [on Wednesday].
Moberg was able to connect with the Broncatti family through the Wisconsin Lost Dogs organization about a week ago, drove up to Mukwonago when Ivory was finally secured with a leash just three days ago, and took Ivory back to Helping Paws that same day.
Little did Moberg know, Ivory eventually would return to Mukwonago. This time, though, with a new owner.
“[The Broncattis] called me Thursday morning and said they wanted their dog back,” Moberg said. “I sent them pre-adopt information, they sent it back later in the day, and came back [Friday] to get him.”
Karen Broncatti and her son, Corey, 10, arrived at Helping Paws on Friday, elated to bring their now-third dog back home.
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| Cory Broncatti, 10, fed and nurtured Ivory when the dog wandered into the boy's yard |
As the Broncatti family, Ivory and Moberg embraced one final time before heading back home, Karen Broncatti summed up Ivory’s journey.
“After driving this distance, I don’t know how Ivory ended up at our house,” Broncatti said, “but it must be for a good reason.
“He picked us.”
Source: http://www.nwherald.com/2011/06/10/dog-finds-eventual-adoptive-family-54-miles-from-animal-shelter/ae4iex6/
Video: http://ssm.nwherald.com/video/3912/sheltered-dog-escapes-and-is-saved/
Another version of the story at: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-talk-dog-home-06-11-20110610,0,4195267.story
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