Winnie, black lab

Doddington dog reunited with owners after three weeks missing
East Kent Gazette

Wednesday, August 31, 2011
A MICROCHIP has once again been credited with helping a dog be reunited with its relieved owners, after it had been missing for three weeks.

Winnie the 18-month-old black labrador was picked up by Swale Council dog warden Tim Oxley after he received a call on Friday, August 19.

​Champion chip: A relieved Sophia Dixon, pictured with dog warden Tim Oxley, is reunited with Winnie after the pet's microchip was scanned.

The caller had found a dog but said it was causing problems, so wanted the council to take it away.

Mr Oxley, who clarified that finding a dog and keeping it is a criminal offence, collected the dog, found a microchip and used it to trace its owners, William and Sophia Dixon, from Doddington, who had reported Winnie missing on July 30.

A delighted Sophia said: "I was shocked and over the moon when I got the call. She got out of the garden and within five or ten minutes had disappeared.

"We continued to search every day for a week, but after that I presumed if anyone had picked her up they would have taken her to a vet and she would have been scanned for a microchip. We had pretty much given up hope.
"It was brilliant news when we found out she had been found, and I went straight away to pick her up, even though I was supposed to be at work."

Mr Oxley said reuniting Winnie with the Dixons was a victory for microchipping.

He added: "This reunion demonstrates perfectly that if you have your dog microchipped then you always have hope that they can be found, as any dog warden or vet will be able to check if the dog is chipped.

"I firmly believe that microchipping your dog is all part of being a responsible dog owner. And because of the decision these owners took to have Winnie microchipped, this story turned out to have a happy ending.

"Winnie is a beautiful dog and we were thrilled to play a small part in returning her to her delighted owners."

Source: http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/Doddington-dog-reunited-owners-weeks-missing/story-13236459-detail/story.html