Sergeant & Natia

Lost dogs found
by Hannah Paczkowski
Posted: Dec 31, 2013

December 19, German Shepherds Natia and Sergeant, a mother and son, disappeared after getting through a fence in the yard. Their owner wasn't sure she'd ever see them again.

"I was just frantic, all I wanted to do was get them home!" Stephanie Howell said.

Now, after 10 days of wandering around Lincoln, they're all back together.

Natia was found near 120th and Pine Lake, lost and alone. She traveled 10 miles from her new home and ended up next door to her previous owner, who received a call that the dog was back.

"We went and picked her up, when she saw us she immediately came to us, got her home and just babied her and loved on her," Howell said.

The question remained, where was Sergeant?

Less than 24 hours later, Howell received another call.

"I said well does the dog have collar, and he said 'yeah a nice, big blue one,' and I about dropped the phone," she said.

Sergeant was found across town, near the Havelock Rail yard; skiddish, limping, and about 30 lbs. lighter.

Sam Franklin from the Missing Pet Partnership helped Stephanie get hold of her dogs.

"She used calming signals perfectly, perfectly and Sarg came right to her, it was amazing," Franklin said.

"It was just the best moment for me to get my hands on his collar," Howell said.

After nearly 10 days of Facebook posts, flyers, and searching for her German Shepherds, the family is back together.

News, Weather and Sports for Lincoln, NE; KLKNTV.com

"This is really more about the community's support, it's not about me, it's not about my family, it's about the people that rally behind us, Lincoln is an amazing city to live in," Howell said.

Source: http://www.klkntv.com/story/24338746/lost-dogs-found?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=9686536

Tequila, schnitzu

Dog stolen outside Marks & Spencer, Wood Green, reunited with family
By Jaber Mohamed
Friday 27th December 2013

A Harringay family celebrated a “Christmas miracle” after their stolen dog was found safe and sound.

Alison Okudzeto tied her pet Tequila to a pole outside Marks & Spencers, in Wood Green, on Friday, December 20, – but when she returned 20 minutes later she was gone.

Tequila, an 11-year-old cross between schnauzer and shitzu, was stolen in Wood Green but was found safe and sound on Christmas Eve

CCTV footage showed two men untying the black dog from the pole and coaxing her away at around 3.30pm.

Ms Okudzeto and her two daughters, Isla, two and Eline, three, were heartbroken at the loss of the 11-year-old dog.

The mother-of-two said: “We were all devastated. It was horrible and we didn’t feel like we could look forward to Christmas.”

But late on Christmas Eve they received a phone call from a vet in Enfield telling them Tequila had been brought into the surgery.

Ms Okudzeto said: “It was a Christmas miracle and the best present we could have asked for.

“The vet said someone came and handed her in after finding her wandering the streets but she looked perfectly fine.

“I think whoever took her realised she wasn’t worth very much money so they let her go.”

The mother warned other dog owners to be careful with their dogs in the area around Turnpike Lane Tube station.

She said: “I want to tell dog owners not to leave their dogs tied up in Wood Green High Road because they could be stolen.

“I didn’t leave my dog out there for very long at all and the experience was really upsetting so people should be careful.”

Source: http://www.haringeyindependent.co.uk/news/10901503.Stolen_dog_reunited_with_family/

Harley, shepherd/rottweiler mix

Dog reunited with owner after being stolen along with truck from Calgary lot
December 19, 2013

Roy Eisenrieder wasn’t quite sure what to do when he walked out of Deerfoot Mall on Wednesday afternoon and his truck wasn’t where he had left it.

More worrisome to him than the missing vehicle was its contents – a six-year-old shepherd/Rottweiler mix named Harley.

“I was absolutely stunned. I wasn’t gone for five minutes, and the truck was locked,” Eisenrieder said. “I actually walked back into the store, and then walked back out again. I couldn’t believe it.”

When it finally set in that the truck was really gone and Harley with it, Eisenrieder contacted mall security and police, who told him his dog was likely on the loose.

“The police said, from other incidents, they (the car thieves) just throw the dog out,” Eisenrieder said.

“To just throw him out, and leave him out all night long, it’s pretty sickening.” – Roy Eisenrieder on the thief who stole his truck, along with his dog.
The farmer, who lives near Irricana, rounded up some friends and together they searched a swath of northeast Calgary near the mall, canvassing nearby businesses, but came up empty-handed.

By midnight, as temperatures plunged to -22 C, they had to give up, and Eisenrieder spent a sleepless night wondering how his country dog would fare, alone and lost in the city.

By Thursday morning, a social-media campaign was underway and Eisenrieder was offering a $500 reward for Harley’s return. He, meanwhile, parked himself at the corner of Deerfoot and Memorial and monitored traffic, on the off chance he might spot his stolen truck.

Shortly after noon, his daughter called to inform him Harley had been located in Beddington and was safely with Animal and Bylaw Services, after spending about 17 hours out in the cold.

“I’m ecstatic,” he said as he left the animal impound, re-united with Harley, who seemed a little shaken but was not physically injured.

As for the reward, Eisenrieder donated it to Animal and Bylaw Services, “so they can keep doing good work.”

Source: http://metronews.ca/news/calgary/890289/dog-reunited-with-owner-after-being-stolen-along-with-truck-from-calgary-lot/

Jingles

House fire leads to reunion between dog, owner
Thu, Dec 26, 2013

HOUSTON – A house fire at a north Houston home led to an unexpected reunion for a woman and her dog Thursday.

According to the Houston Fire Department, the house fire was first reported at 11:30 a.m. on the 1100 block of Hartwick Drive when two neighbors saw smoke coming from the home.

The two men, Bob Johnson and Armando Delatorre, said they had to kick in the front door to rescue the homeowner who was asleep inside.

“I was on my hands and knees, but I could see the flames around the kitchen,” Johnson said.

The neighbors worked to contain the fire until firefighters arrived on the scene.

“So we got the water hoses, broke the windows and tried to put the fire out through the windows,” Delatorre said.

At first, they had no idea someone was inside and then they saw him.

“The guy just walked out. I guess he couldn’t find his way until we opened the doors and the guy just walked out,” Delatoore said.

That guy was Rolondo Perez’s father, who was alone in the house along with their three dogs.

“That was all I was worried about, just my dad. I mean the dogs, too. I’m just glad they all made it,” Perez said.

They made it out with just minor injuries. The dogs needed some help breathing though.

And then a day of dramatic rescues took an unexpected twist when neighbor Shiree Hicks came by.

“And I looked over to see if everyone was OK and I saw Jingles,” Hicks said.

“I just moved over here. I had her and she was caged in the back. She squeezed through the fence and got away and I had never seen her anymore."

The Perez family found the escaped dog, but did not know who she belonged to.

“We just kept her. We were waiting to see if someone would come looking for her and no one ever came so we just kept her,” Perez said.



Of course, that was until Thursday’s fire and dramatic rescue. “Because of the fire, I found my dog,” Hicks said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/video/house-fire-leads-reunion-between-012038811.html

Boo, Bernese mountain dog

Dog returned to Santa Rosa home after month in wilderness
By Derek Moore, the Press Democrat
December 25, 2013


A Santa Rosa family is celebrating having their Bernese mountain dog home for the holidays following the pooch's extraordinary journey across the Mayacamas mountains to as far away as the city of Napa, a distance of some 35 miles.

Equally as impressive as Boo surviving for a month in the wilderness were the lengths Mike and Beth Gallatin went to during their frantic search for the family's beloved pet, which vanished Nov. 21 during a nasty wind storm.

Beth Gallatin plays with Boo, a 5-year-old Bernese mountain dog, at their home in Santa Rosa on Tuesday, December 24, 2013. Boo went missing on November 21, and was found along Trinity Road on December 21.

The couple hiked mountains and river valleys in Sonoma and Napa counties, posted thousands of fliers and hired a professional animal tracker. Beth Gallatin at one point even flew over Napa Valley in a rented helicopter hoping for a glimpse of the furry brown, black and white dog.

“We just felt we needed to do everything we could once we got down the path of looking for him,” Beth Gallatin said this week. “We just couldn't stop.”

The saga, which was chronicled on social media sites, drew dozens of volunteers and had neighbors in communities across two counties keeping an eye out for the lost dog. It all culminated Saturday in a joyous reunion near Glen Ellen.

“I can hardly talk about it without crying. Imagining this dog wandering around for a month, curled up in a ball sleeping, it was heartbreaking,” said Stevi Hanson, whose home on Trinity Road was the site of Saturday's reunion.

The Gallatins never fathomed the drama that would unfold after Boo vanished Nov. 21. The couple, who have two teenage daughters, had finished moving into their new home in the McDonald Avenue neighborhood of Santa Rosa that very day, when the storm unleashed a fury that blew transformers and knocked out power.

Mike Gallatin is a landscaper and stonemason; Beth is the costume director for SPACE Performing Arts School in Ukiah, where the couple previously lived.

They put Boo in the backyard before leaving to pick up one of their daughters. When they returned, they were shocked to discover that the 5-year-old dog had bolted, apparently through a hole in a fence they didn't know existed.

Boo wore a flea collar but nothing else. Beth Gallatin said they'd removed the dog's harness, which had an identification tag, so that he would be more comfortable on the ride to Santa Rosa.

In the ensuing days the couple posted fliers and scoured their Santa Rosa neighborhood for signs of Boo. About a week later, they began receiving conflicting reports of sightings in Oakmont and in Calistoga.

The couple split up, with Beth Gallatin taking the aerial tour of Napa Valley while Mike canvassed the Oakmont neighborhood. But then a homeowner on Cavedale Road east of Glen Ellen reported seeing Boo, sending them in a new direction.

Members of the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of Northern California joined the hunt. The Gallatins also contacted officials with Caltrans, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and police agencies across Sonoma and Napa counties to alert them to the search.

Around Dec. 10, a caller reported seeing Boo at a car wash in the Browns Valley neighborhood in west Napa. By road, that's a distance of about 35 miles from Santa Rosa. Boo likely covered many more miles, up steep mountainous terrain, to arrive at that point. But as was the case on numerous occasions, Boo was nowhere to be found by the time the Gallatins arrived in Napa.

The dog is a bit of a fraidy cat, despite at the time packing 105 pounds. People reported that Boo would not come near them. The Gallatins were particularly alarmed when the next reported sighting was of Boo running east along Trancas Avenue, a busy thoroughfare in Napa. A Napa County Animal Control Officer reportedly tried to capture the dog but told the Gallatins he was thwarted when Boo lunged at him.

The couple hiked the Napa River and on the advice of a local animal tracker left remnants of their clothes at various spots, along with food. A few days later, they received word that Boo had been spotted again in Browns Valley, and then captured on a wildlife camera on Cavedale Road back in Sonoma County.

That's when the Gallatins called professional dog tracker Karin TarQwyn, who as it turned out was flying to California last weekend to visit family. She told the Gallatins she was available to help and that she would be bringing along one of her tracking dogs.

Said Beth Gallatin, “We had sightings in two different counties. Either it's Boo, every Bernese is out, or my dog is magic.”

The tracker wasn't needed. Last Friday evening, Hanson was taking a shower at her Trinity Road home when her husband, Blair Calder, yelled to her that the dog they'd all seen on the posters was in their yard.

Hanson immediately contacted the Gallatins, who rushed from Santa Rosa. But again, Boo was gone by the time they arrived.

Mike Gallatin decided to camp out overnight on Hanson's property. He'd brought a cooked piece of meat as well as cans of salmon, which he opened and set around his Toyota SUV.

With no sign of Boo by mid-morning Saturday, Mike dejectedly packed it up and left. Hanson said 20 minutes later, Boo bounded back into the yard. She phoned the Gallatins again. Mike returned and walked into the forest, laden with the meats and fish. He sat down and started calling for his dog.

A few minutes later, Mike heard a crashing sound in the brush. Boo peeked out inched ever so slowly in Mike's direction. Recognizing who it was, the dog bounded over.

The reunion occurred a month to the day after Boo's disappearance. Hanson said Mike Gallatin was so overcome he could barely talk. When Beth arrived, she gave Hanson a small replica of a Bernese mountain dog she'd kept in her pocket while searching for Boo.

The Gallatins had the dog checked out by veterinarian Patrick Grant at Montecito Veterinary Center. Boo was covered with ticks and had shed 10 pounds, but that actually put him at his ideal weight.

“I joke that he went through an Outward Bound weight-loss program,” Beth Gallatin said this week as Boo lay at her feet.

Boo now has an implanted microchip to help identify the dog should he ever get lost again. The Gallatins have ordered a GPS tracker for Boo to wear and also are not letting him out of the house off-leash until the fence is repaired.

Friends of the couple started an online fundraising campaign to help defray some of the expenses they incurred during the search. The donation site is at http://www.gofundme.com/5t5r7w.

Beth Gallatin said the couple plan to steer some of the money toward other individuals or groups that assist in searching for lost pets. They are planning to donate the two animal traps they ordered but that had yet to arrive by Tuesday.

The couple also were fulfilling a promise this week to remove all of the fliers they put up during the search for their dog. In their place, they've put up a single poster in every community they visited on their arduous journey to thank people for their help.

“Thank you! Boo is found. You all are angels,” reads one of the posters at the intersection of Trinity Road and Highway 12.

And at the couple's home Tuesday, a candle burned inside a glass cylinder imprinted with the image of a Bernese mountain dog, on a mantel decorated for the holidays.

Source: http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20131225/articles/131229753#page=0

Baby, Boxer

Microchip helps owner get reunited with dog missing for over year
By Jessica Flores, FOX 10 News
Dec 23, 2013

PHOENIX - It is the best Christmas gift a valley man could ask for: After months of hoping "Baby," his missing boxer, would return home, she's back, just in time for the holidays.

Baby took off in November of 2012 and now, 13 months later, she's made her way back home thanks to a microchip implant.

Her owner doesn't know where she's been all that time, but he says this is the second time she will be considered his Christmas present.

Baby, a 5-year-old boxer, is in the comfort of her home.

"She's a loving dog. She doesn't ask for anything else but love, she doesn't play with toys, she just wants to be fed and loved everyday, that's it," said Timothy Costello, Baby's owner.

Timothy Costello got baby from a boxer rescue four years ago, right around Christmas and just after he lost his first boxer to cancer.

Baby rarely left his side.

"They say dog is man's best friend, but she was literally my best friend," said Costello.

But late last year, Costello came home and found Baby gone. The gate was left open.

Costello looked everywhere, but baby never came home.

But now one year later, someone turned the dog in to the humane society, and thanks to Baby's microchip, owner and dog are reunited just in time for the holidays.

"There's no better gift than to be able to get a loved on back that you thought was gone forever," said Costello.

Baby was found 15 miles from her home. She had been abused; she was about 20 pounds underweight and she had a seven inch gash in her leg.

"She needed about four to five days every day for the wound to be cleaned and after that they finally stitched her up," said Costello.

Baby's only been back home for a week and she is still recovering, but now she's safe and at home spending this Christmas with her family and best friend.

FOX 10 News | myfoxphoenix.com

"She was a 2009 Christmas gift. Now she's my 2013 Christmas gift," said Costello.

Costello says he plans to get baby a tracking device so she never lost again.

Source: http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/story/24287113/2013/12/23/missing-dog-reunited-with-owner-after-going-missing-for-year

Luke, rat terrier

Stolen dog, owner, reunited in time for Christmas
By Samantha Allen
12/23/2013

LOWELL - Norma Von Fricken said she was praying to St. Anthony all day Monday for the safe return of her dog, missing for nine days since her car was stolen in Lowell with the little pet inside.

She said that although she had a few dark days, losing her faith after the incident, this past weekend she knew it would only be a matter of time before her 6-year-old rat terrier Luke showed up again.

Norma Von Fricken snuggles with her returned Luke, who was stolen, along with her Honda Civic, last week. Luke was found in Boston.

Only hours after Von Fricken prayed for her dog, Monday morning she said she received a call from Boston police they had found Luke, and he had been in their pound since last Saturday, Dec. 14, the day Von Fricken's car was stolen.

"I tell you, Jesus is alive and well," Von Fricken said inside her kitchen Monday night, with Luke prancing around her feet.

Meanwhile, a missing pitbull reportedly stolen this past weekend in Tewksbury was also returned according to officials Monday. Von Fricken's drama began when she left the engine running to keep the dog warm when she parked outside Eliot Presbyterian Church in Lowell to drop off some Christmas decorations at that time. She said she ran inside the Summer Street church to make the donation around 11 a.m. and was not gone for longer than 10 minutes.

Von Fricken said she borrowed a friend's car as soon as she got the call Monday and zipped down to the city to claim her friend. A microchip scan confirmed this dog was hers, and she brought him home. Monday night, she said she was preparing a turkey for both of them to enjoy.

A spokesman for the Boston Police Department confirmed Luke was found just outside the police station in Back Bay. Von Fricken's car was still missing as of Monday night.

Von Fricken found Luke three years ago at the Lowell Humane Society. Humane Society Executive Director Jill O'Connell said she was elated when she heard the good news of his safe return. The local shelter had put out a call to help Von Fricken last week, asking residents to be on the lookout for Luke. They coordinated with missing-dog groups in New Hampshire and beyond to keep a sharp eye out for him.

Von Fricken said though she questioned her faith previously, the kindness and support of her community brought her back. She said her mailman took Luke's photo and showed it around the neighborhood to try to help locate him. Then an 8-year-old son of a parishioner called to make sure Von Fricken was doing all right. Monday evening, the Rev. Thysan Sam of Eliot Presbyterian stopped by to check in, too. She told him Luke was completely unharmed and the car thief must have stolen her Honda, and then taken Luke to Boston to drop him off.

"The Lord is in everybody. He's in the mailman, he's in that little child," she said. "... I'm so happy to have Luke back."



Meanwhile, in the Tewksbury case, the dog's owner, Samantha Halley, 24, claimed her ex-boyfriend took her dog, named Lucc, without permission Saturday night when her parents let the dog out into their fenced-in backyard area on Emily Drive. Halley said she saw footprints indicating the dog left the area with another person.

Lucc, a 2-year-old pitbull with golden brown hair and a bright red nose, was returned by an anonymous person according to Tewksbury police on Sunday. Tewksbury police Lt. Robert Stephens said officials continue to investigate whether a person stole Lucc or if the dog was lost on its own.

Lowell Deputy Police Superintendent Deborah Friedl confirmed police will continue to investigate the theft of Von Fricken's vehicle in her case. For now, Von Fricken said she is planning to purchase a new car, and to enjoy Christmas with her family and her beloved dog.


Source: http://www.lowellsun.com/breakingnews/ci_24783521/stolen-dog-owner-reunited-time-christmas

Baxter, spaniel

A stolen dog is reunited with his family thanks to our Trusted House Sitters
By Lisa
December 20th, 2013

Ray and Karen, Trusted House Sitters from London, have got in touch to share some fantastic news. While house sitting in the English countryside for second time this year they found a gorgeous spaniel loose on the road. Thanks to their help Baxter was reunited with his family in time for Christmas.

Ray and Karen, house sitters from London. Ray, a retired police officer, and Karen, a retired information manager, love dogs so were thrilled to help Baxter find his family

“We had just met our previous family for breakfast and had a lovely time catching up with them. We said our goodbyes and set off along one of the country roads to head back to the house. We had just slowed down as we thought we might have taken a wrong turn when saw a little spaniel running along the middle of the road towards us. The road was not particularly busy but we knew it was the kind of road where cars would travel quite fast so we knew we had to act quickly as a car could come speeding along at any moment. As we opened the driver side where the dog was we were afraid he might get nervous and run off. Luckily he was only a little nervous and we spoke to him he quite happily jumped onto Ray’s lap! We were very relieved as just at that moment a car went by travelling very fast. We realised we now needed to find where the poor little chap had come from.

Having visions of some poor family frantically searching the surrounding countryside for him we drove down the road a little further then back again to see if anyone was looking for him. We could see no one so decided to take him to the nearest vet in the hope that he was microchipped. We were so happy to find that he was!  The veterinary nurse quickly contacted the family to let them know we had found their beloved pet and we could tell from the reaction that they were very happy! However the story took an interesting turn when they told us their dog had been stolen 6 weeks earlier.

Rescued spaniel
Baxter at the vets shortly after being rescued by Ray and Karen. Thanks to his microchip he was shortly reunited with his family.

Apparently Baxter had run off chasing pheasants when the family were walking him in nearby woods at the beginning of November. Someone had just happened to find him when two men drove up and said he was theirs. He was happily handed over to the two men as there was no reason to doubt their story. However they were lying and the dog has been missing ever since. The family were distraught and distributed leaflets as well as launching appeals on social media sites for any information on his disappearance. They created a ‘Find Baxter’ Facebook page in the hope that someone would spot him somewhere. They even involved a pet detective! (not the Jim Carey version however) and were on TV. Unfortunately we were not aware of any of this, not being from the area.

The family were very happy to get their lovely little pet back and the smiles on their faces were the best reward we could ever need! However we feel that the most important lesson to be learned from this story is the benefit of microchipping. We were very grateful for it in finding Baxters owners and I know that they are very glad they used it as it brought their much loved family member back home!”

Source: http://blog.trustedhousesitters.com/a-stolen-dog-is-reunited-with-his-family-thanks-to-our-trusted-house-sitters/

Tula, shih tzu mix

Lost dog belonging to daughter of Joe Namath found in St. Petersburg
Dec 20, 2013

ST. PETERSBURG, FL - The holidays will be a bit brighter for a Jupiter, FL woman who lost her dog five years ago, thanks to a determined animal-lover who found the woman’s pooch on the other side of the state in St. Petersburg.

Jessica Namath's 3-year-old daughter Jemma had never met Tula.
Now they are best pals.

Michael Cecere, 42, was out running errands early Wednesday afternoon when a small, brown scruffy dog ran into the road at 49th St. and 30th Ave. Cecere says the chocolate-brown Shih Tzu mix looked confused and scared. He didn’t want it to get hit, so he got out of his car and picked it up.

“I can’t not stop for dogs,” said the St. Petersburg resident, who says he has a big heart when it comes to lost animals.

Cecere spent the next hour-and-a-half wandering through the neighborhood, knocking on doors trying to find the dog’s owner. “Nobody knew this dog,” he said.

So, Cecere took the dog to his veterinarian, who discovered that the dog had a microchip embedded underneath its skin.

The phone numbers associated with the chip were no longer working numbers. But, Cecere did get the name of the person associated with the dog’s microchip.

He went home and Googled the woman’s name “Jessica Namath” and discovered she lives on the other side of the state in Jupiter. Cecere called and asked if she had lost her dog.

Cecere says Namath told him that her dog vanished about five years ago.

Namath is from a family of dog lovers. Between her mother, herself, her siblings and her famous father, NFL Hall-of-Famer Joe Namath, there are 12 dogs in the family.

“At first, I didn’t think she realized it was that dog. She thought it was dead,” said Cecere.

So, Cecere sent her a photo of the dog and Namath said it was her missing pooch.

“It was amazing,” he said, excitedly.

An Emotional Reunion

Since they lived on opposite sides of Florida, Cecere and Namath decided to meet midway in Yeehaw Junction on Thursday, so he could give Namath her long-lost dog. Cecere said the reunion between Namath and her dog was touching.

“The dog recognized her,” he said. “The look on her face was priceless. It was like it was her missing kid.”

Namath told WFLA.com that it was surprising and amazing that her 6-year-old dog “Tula” finally made it back to her after five long years.

“It was not the phone call I was expecting to get,” she said of the call she received from Cecere in St. Petersburg on Wednesday.

Namath says she is lucky that an animal lover found Tula and was determined to return her.

“All the stars aligned,” she said. “Anybody who loves animals knows what it’s like to miss one.”

The Day Tula Disappeared

Namath says Tula vanished during a family gathering at her home which was on the intracoastal waterway in Jupiter. “She literally disappeared.”

Soon after Tula went missing, people in Namath’s tight-knit neighborhood help search for her. Some used kayaks to comb the waterway.

Namath posted flyers, offered a $2,000 reward and even consulted three different psychics, who all told her they thought Tula was alive. But, Tula never turned up.

Namath thinks that her lifelong concern for animals helped bring Tula back to her. “I have rescued and found and returned so many animals in my life. I felt it was my karma.”

Now that Tula is back at home, Namath wants to stress the importance of micro-chipping pets. It’s something she thinks every pet owner should do because it is easy, inexpensive and can help reunite owners with their pets, regardless of how much time has passed.

“It’s reassuring to know there can be happy endings.”

Source: http://www.wfla.com/story/24275564/st-petersburg-man-reunites-dog-lost-5-years-with-owner

Penny

Missing Columbus Dog Found One Year Later in Richmond, Virginia Hotel
Thursday December 19, 2013

COLUMBUS, Ohio - A Columbus family is relieved after learning their dog, missing for one year, was discovered hundreds of miles away in an abandoned hotel room in Richmond, Virginia.

The Christmas tree sparkles and the gifts are stacked underneath.

A much happier holiday scene than last year in the McGregor house.

"It was the day we were leaving for my in-laws for the holidays and we were just beside ourselves," said Jone Mason McGregor.

The family's four year old fur ball, Penny, just vanished.

"It's like a beloved member of our family gone," said McGregor.  "We were like the sad family that showed up at the pound every day for like months."

The family let Penny out in the backyard.  They think she somehow slipped under the fence and got away.

"Think about the logistics of an eight pound dog and all the things that could happen to her, but in my heart of hearts I just felt she was still somewhere around," said McGregor.

McGregor's feeling was right.  But that somewhere was nowhere near.  Little Penny turned up in a hotel room in Richmond, Virginia, abandoned.

"It's 479 miles," said McGregor.  "I burst into tears. I couldn't believe it,"

McGregor has no idea where Penny's been or who's had her. The family's just happy she's about to come home.

"It's really an amazing Christmas gift to our family," said McGregor.


McGregor's husband plans to drive to Virginia Sunday to pick Penny up.

The couple hopes to learn more about where she has been this whole time.

Source: http://www.10tv.com/content/stories/2013/12/19/columbus-missing-dog-found-year-later-in-richmond-virginia.html

Rosco, lost in a tornado

No more waiting for Rosco
By Mary Milz
Dec 18, 2013 6:09 PM EST

Christmas came a week early for a Fountain County girl who got her missing dog back.

Wednesday, 10-year-old Madison Pritchard was reunited with her beloved dog Rosco, one month after he disappeared during the tornado that swept across the small town of Mellott.

Kyla Robinson says her family was at a baby shower in Crawfordsville when the tornado struck. They rushed home to find their home damaged and Rosco gone.

"The night it happened, (Madison) was devastated and just fell to the ground," Kyla said of Madison.

Rosco had been tied to a long chain that allowed him to sit on the front porch. The chain was broken.

"We looked in the barn, under the house, everywhere, just in case he was somewhere safe," Kyla said.

Rosco didn't have tags or any identification, so a man took him to the Clinton County Humane Society, 45 miles from home. Five days later, he was adopted by a woman looking for a companion for her senior dog.

The reunion is something Madison's mom feared she'd never see until several calls yesterday.

Madison and her family continued to look for Rosco, but feared he was dead. Then a neighbor posted his picture online and they were able to track him down, but his new owner initially didn't want to give him up.

The woman said she had lost her husband and another dog in the past year, so she's been having a tough time. Her children had already bonded to Rosco, making the decision even tougher.

"I'm just so thankful she understands how much my daughter loves Rosco that she's willing to give him up," Kyla Robinson, Madison's mom, said. "I understand why she wouldn't want to give him back because I would struggle too, but I'm so glad she did."

For Madison, the reunion couldn't come soon enough. Rosco greeted her with enthusiasm and doggy kisses, and obviously had never forgotten his family.

"I wish he could talk to me and tell me what happened," Madison said.

Eyewitness News rode with the family part of the way home. Rosco seemed to know exactly where he was going. Since Madison took the day off from school, they have all day to play.

13 WTHR Indianapolis

Robinson did agree to reimburse the woman the $275 she paid in fees and other costs associated with adopting Rosco. She said she's not upset with the woman nor the Humane Society. She's just happy to get Rosco home and in time for Christmas.

The Humane Society is working with the woman who adopted Rosco to help her family find another pet.

Source: http://www.wthr.com/story/24239003/2013/12/17/indiana-family-trying-to-get-back-dog-lost-in-tornado

Anna, Shetland Sheepdog

Dog found 500 miles away reunited with owner in time for Christmas
16 December 2013

A seven-year-old Shetland Sheepdog has been reunited with her owner after she was found over 500 miles away from home.

Anna was reported missing by breeder Leanda Loosemore in May after disappearing from her kennel near Cupar.

After alerting the police and posting appeals on social networking sites, Leanda had give up hope of finding her beloved pet.

But a phone call last month from the council in Ashford, Kent made sure that the prize-winning show dog was back home in time for Christmas.

Leanda said: "She was behind a locked and bolted door. Anna is quite a cuddly, lazy wee thing and there is no way she would have climbed out anywhere.

"So I knew she had been stolen."

At that point Leanda had resigned herself to thinking she would never see Anna again - until she was contacted out of the blue.

She added: "They said we've had one of your dogs handed. I immediately thought it was a puppy we had sold and maybe the owners hadn't transferred the micro chip details."

Anna the Shetland Sheepdog found 500 miles away from home. Reunited with owner Leanda Loosemore.

But when the caller described the dog to Leanda, she was delighted to discover Anna had been found and would soon be on her way home.

Leanda said: "If she wasn't microchipped we would never have got her back - I doubt the people in Kent would have seen her pictures on Facebook.

"It's brilliant to have her back. It's like a real life lassie come home."

Source: http://news.stv.tv/tayside/257077-anna-the-shetland-sheepdog-reunited-with-owner-leanda-loosemore/

Abner, black lab

Looking for Abner
Doug Moe, Wisconsin State Journal
December 15, 2013

Last weekend, mid-morning Saturday, Mary Carbine stood at the top of the driveway of a farm home in White Lake, up north in Langlade County. At the end of the driveway, 50 yards away, near some woods, Carbine saw something she had not seen in nine weeks — her black Labrador mix dog.

“Oh, God,” Carbine whispered. “There’s Abner.”

The farm owner, Gene Holbrook, working outside, had seen him first and gone in to alert Carbine. By then she knew enough not to run. After two months, Carbine had the missing dog protocol down cold. She inched along the driveway, but after a moment, Abner turned and ran into the woods.

The rule was, she couldn’t chase him. Carbine took some treats and a blanket that held Abner’s scent to the spot where he had stood. She set them down and then sat on the blanket, staying 15 minutes, longer than was wise in the cold. Then she went back inside.

Late that afternoon, from a window, Carbine saw Abner again. This time, walking outside, she couldn’t help herself. She called softly to her dog, words she’d used hundreds of times. “Come on, Abner.”

He paused momentarily, then turned, and ran again to the woods.

The next day, driving back to Madison alone, Carbine, who had been so strong, was fighting despair, thinking “This is never going to end.”

It began on a weekend in early October, a happy annual gathering of eight friends at a cabin near Three Lakes, some 250 miles north of Madison.

Carbine, 49, has been executive director of Madison’s Central Business Improvement District for eight years. She got Abner, a stray, in 2008 from a rescue organization called Furry Bottoms. Abner looked like a bruiser but was really a cupcake, Carbine decided. He liked to cuddle. And he was “a thinker,” a teacher at obedience school had said.

Abner had accompanied Carbine to the Three Lakes cabin several times, where the group of friends meet each fall for two days of hiking, canoeing and eating. Several bring their dogs. This year, they arrived on Oct. 4.

The next morning, the group was out on the road for a walk, dogs included. Something got the dogs’ attention, and they scampered into the woods. The people kept walking, slowly, calling for their dogs. After five or 10 minutes, all of the dogs returned, except Abner.

The group continued calling Abner’s name. He had run off before, Carbine said, and always came back. Minutes became an hour, and more, and then it began to thunder and lightning, which always frightened Abner.

“We began to get seriously concerned,” Carbine said. They split into teams, on foot and in cars. “Our weekend turned into a search party,” Carbine said. They put things with familiar scents both outside the cabin and at the spot where Abner disappeared. Nothing. The next day, heartsick, Carbine drove into Three Lakes, looking for the Internet, and advice.

She found both at the website of a remarkable volunteer organization called Lost Dogs of Wisconsin. They instructed Carbine on what best to do and helped create and circulate flyers. (Yelling and chasing your dog is not recommended; a dog at large can go into a survival mode that will view most any approach as a threat, causing it to run away.)

Sunday night, a volunteer, Dave Woods, phoned Carbine.

“We’re going to bring Abner home,” said Woods, who would be in frequent touch over the next nine weeks.

Carbine stayed up north that Monday, circulating more flyers, and went back the following weekend, by which time she had begun to receive calls of sightings of Abner. He appeared to have headed south, maybe four miles that first day, which was unfortunate. The north wind would have kept him from getting a scent back to the cabin.

Carbine returned to the area on weekends through October, and into November. She took out ads in small papers and the calls increased, although it was never easy to know if a sighting of Abner was really him. Carbine spent two futile days in Tomahawk. The best information seemed to indicate Abner was still heading south, and ads and flyers in and around Crandon, and then Antigo, brought more sightings. “But I was always like a day behind him,” Carbine said.

Finally, earlier this month, Carbine got a call from a couple in White Lake, Gene and Lorie Holbrook. Their motion-activated camera captured an image of Abner. He was visiting their shed for shelter. It was 65 miles from where he disappeared.

Carbine spent last weekend in White Lake, saw Abner twice at the Holbrook farm, but could not retrieve him. She drove home Sunday, still heartsick. That night in Madison, the phone rang. Abner had followed the couple’s dog inside. He was on their couch.

Monday, Carbine drove north one last time. Abner was overjoyed to see her. He was no longer in survival mode. Back in Madison, the vet would say he was in good shape. He grew a thick coat, ate the food left outside by kind people who had read Carbine’s flyers and ads. Abner had gained eight pounds.

Carbine called Dave Woods, the Lost Dogs volunteer in Wausau, to tell him he was right. They’d brought Abner home.

Source: http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/columnists/doug-moe/doug-moe-looking-for-abner/article_d302a9c3-5fc5-5455-8a1b-1e0e11f75ec7.html

Charlie, American bulldog puppy

Family reunited with missing puppy
Updated: Wednesday, December 4, 2013, 10:52 PM EST

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - Four-month-old Charlie eagerly greeted his family at Fort Wayne Animal Care and Control (FWACC) Wednesday afternoon after apparently being taken in a burglary earlier in the week.

Sheila Snyder said that her American Bulldog puppy was stolen from the family's home on Saturday, along with gifts under the tree and electronics.

"It's horrible," Snyder said on Monday. "The whole thing is just absolutely horrible. I mean who would do that?"

FWACC officials said someone anonymously dropped Charlie off in their overnight drop box late Tuesday or early Wednesday. There's no surveillance video of who dropped the puppy off.

Thanks to a microchip, FWACC was able to confirm that the puppy belonged to Synder.

"This is so exciting," Snyder said at the emotional reunion. "This is like better than Christmas presents under the tree. This is so amazing, an amazing feeling."

Charlie, clearly also excited to be reunited with his family, wagged his tail non-stop as he jumped on, licked and greeted his family members.

"Thank everybody that has posted throughout social media and talked about getting the word out for his safe return," Snyder continued. "We thank the Fort Wayne Police Department and everyone here at Animal Control, and everybody at NewsChannel 15."

Synder said homeowners insurance has helped cover the cost of the merchandise that was stolen from the home. The Fort Wayne Police Department is still investigating the incident.



Source: http://www.wishtv.com/news/indiana/family-reunited-with-missing-puppy

Molly, black lab

I usually don't post stories without photos, and I don't like photos that are not of the found dog. But this story was too good not to pass on. Enjoy!


Microchip the key to a happy reunion for dog, Fayetteville family
By Nancy McCleary, Staff writer
Published: 07:10 AM, Tue Nov 26, 2013

The young man brought the black Labrador retriever to Cumberland County Animal Control last week, seeking to surrender the aging and arthritic dog so it could be euthanized.

The dog belonged to the young man's parents and the family did not have the money to treat the dog or have it euthanized, said Dr. John Lauby, the Animal Control director.

Before doing anything, the staff scanned the dog for a microchip. It's standard with any surrendered animal, Lauby said.

A microchip scanner

They found one, Lauby said.

A staff worker tracked down a phone number through the microchip company's database and within minutes was dialing Jeffrey and Karen Lott.

The Lotts were getting ready to come to Fayetteville from their home in Lumber Bridge when the phone rang.

Lott answered and was told that Animal Control was calling him as a courtesy, that the dog with the chip was to be euthanized.

"We said, 'No. Do not euthanize that dog,' " Jeffrey Lott said. " 'I'll be there in an hour.' "

"That dog" was Molly, one of the family's two dogs that went missing in December 2007, Lott said.

The Lotts and a daughter, Maggie, 20, rushed to Animal Control.

"We looked at Molly and it was her," Lott said. "We knew it had to be."

Molly weighed about 20 pounds less than when she went missing, Lott said, and she had a bad case of fleas.

But after Animal Control workers bathed her and treated her for the fleas, things began to improve.

How Molly ended up with the family who was surrendering her isn't known, Lauby said.

All Lott knows is that about 10 months after moving into their home, Molly and Tex, a boxer mix that didn't have a microchip, disappeared from the fenced back yard.

The family searched for both dogs, but couldn't find either of them, Lott said.

The Lotts adopted Molly from a soldier who was preparing to deploy in the early 2000s, Lott said.

The former owner had already microchipped Molly and registered the information with HomeAgain, a lost-pet recovery service operating nationally.

When Molly was adopted by the Lotts, the information on record was updated to reflect the new ownership, Lott said.

The life span of a Labrador retriever is anywhere from nine to 12 years, Lauby said.

Molly, who was born in 1999, was already 6 years old when she went to live with the Lotts. The dog's age was one reason the family had little hope of seeing her again, Lott said.

"We had kind of given up on her," Lott said. "We kind of assumed she died of old age."

There's no question as to where the 14 1/2-year-old dog will spend her remaining days.

"There was no second thoughts about taking her home," Lott said. "She can come home and be with us however long she has."

Molly's easing her way back into a routine with the Lotts. She's slowed, Lott said, and is skeptical of going outdoors, especially down the steps, but she's readjusting.

Molly's return has been overwhelming, said Lott, who was laid off from his job last month.

"But it's made me look at things a little differently," he said. "Things were in a downward spiral. But then, something comes along to bring things in perspective."

It's a story for the season, Lauby said.

"This is a really heartwarming thing to take place around Thanksgiving," Lauby said.

http://fayobserver.com/articles/2013/11/26/1297759

Meko, Brussels Griffon

YHS reunites lost dog with owners after a year and a half
Patrick Whitehurst, The Daily Courier
12/9/2013

PRESCOTT - Meko, a four-year-old Brussels Griffon, is destined to be a part of the O'Brien family.

In 2012, Meko went missing during the night while on an O'Brien family camping trip to Parker for the Fourth of July weekend. After searching for their missing pet, James and Dana O'Brien, with their children Mady and Jayden, returned to California empty-handed.

Mady & Meko play dress-up prior to the dog’s disappearance in Parker over the 4th of July 2012 weekend


A year and a half later, Meko returned.

Last month, the young dog was found on Highway 89 in the company of another dog. Both were brought to the Yavapai Humane Society in Prescott on Nov. 12 as lost pets, according to Lisa Snyder, lost-and-found associate for the Yavapai Humane Society.

Snyder worked diligently to reunite the dog with his family. That reunion was made all the more special for Mady O'Brien, 7, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor in May. Meko's return has ignited a glimmer of hope for the family.

"We just kind of feel like this is the first good news we've gotten since she was diagnosed," Dana O'Brien said. "We're very hopeful that this is the beginning of good news and that hopefully next year will be a little better than this one."

Mady and her brother Jayden gathered some of Meko's belongings, which the family saved, including his collar and leash.

"They went out and got him new toys and got him a new bed," Dana said.

Dana learned the news while taking Mady to one of her many doctor's appointments.

"I told Mady and she had the biggest smile on her face. The first thing she said was 'This has got to be the best day ever.' He really was more her dog. We could tell that right off the bat. When he was little he followed her around and would sleep with her. They really had a special bond and it really meant a lot to her that he was able to make it home."

After learning the news Meko had been found, James O'Brien wasted no time returning to Prescott for the family pet.

According to Snyder, Meko never barked or uttered a sound while in the humane society's kennels. That changed when O'Brien showed up.

"All of sudden a switch just went on and the dog went crazy. It was pretty amazing," Snyder said.

Stacy Hawthorne, marketing and development director for the humane society, kept in contact with the family during the reunion process.

The family told her Meko disappeared sometime during the camping trip after going to sleep with Mady.

"Meko slept next to Mady mostly. But when they woke up, he wasn't there," Hawthorne said. "They immediately went looking for him at the campground and talked to a park ranger. The park ranger said they saw him wondering around and said the dog jumped into a van in the middle of the night with a guy who was camping. That guy went to the park ranger and asked who owned the dog. The ranger told him to leave it there. I guess the guy just decided he wanted him."

Meko now lives with another dog, Joey, which the family adopted when they'd given up hope of seeing Meko again.

Yavapai Humane Society employees use a scanner that checks incoming animals for microchip implants, Snyder said. Both Meko and his traveling companion were scanned when they got to the humane society.

"We scanned both of the dogs. The other dog didn't have any chip. We don't know where that one came from, but it seemed to be hanging out with Meko. Meko was in a lot better shape. We scanned him and brought up a microchip," Snyder said.

The company informed Snyder that the O'Brien family had reported Meko stolen in 2012. The family, she learned, lived in San Juan Capistrano in California. She immediately began calling phone number in an attempt to reach them.

At first, the O'Briens were reluctant to believe the lost dog in question was actually Meko.

"They asked to see pictures, because mom didn't really believe it was their dog at this point," Snyder said. "I emailed her a picture and she called me back within three minutes of getting the picture and was almost in tears."

Hawthorne said not all humane societies are able to afford the high tech tracking equipment.

"The scanner we use is a universal scanner. A lot of humane societies don't have them, because they're really expensive, but PetCo actually funded this," Hawthorne said.

A video of the reunion, produced by the Yavapai Humane Society, has since gone viral and has even appeared on the Martha Stewart website. The Yavapai Humane Society currently has about 30 dogs in their lost and found kennel and a 30 percent reunion rate.

Source: http://www.dcourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1086&ArticleID=126209

Momo, chihuahua pug mix

Family reunited with missing dog after I-29 crash near Sergeant Bluff
Conrad Swanson, Sioux City Journal
December 05, 2013

SIOUX CITY | Momo, a 3-year-old pug-Chihuahua mix missing after a fatal accident near Sergeant Bluff on Wednesday, has been reunited with his family.

His owner, Nicole Browder, called the Siouxland Humane Society just before noon Thursday, asking if anyone had found the dog and turned him in.

Kelly Eerie, assistant shelter manager at the Humane Society, took Browder's call.

"She wanted to see if anyone had brought a dog in," Eerie said.

While emergency services were coming upon the scene, Browder had put Momo on the ground, and perhaps spooked by the lights and sirens, he took off heading south on Interstate 29, Eerie said.

"He was just as shook up as me," Browder said Thursday as she was reunited with her pup. "He ran from the accident out of fear. I tried to find him and chase him down but there was so much going on that I couldn't get to him."

Momo was returned to Browder Thursday afternoon at the Sioux City Law Enforcement Center. He was found near Sergeant Bluff-Luton High School, said Brenda Iwen of Noah's Hope Animal Rescue.

Iwen and Deanna Jarvis proudly displayed a post on their Facebook page that reached more than 20,000 people. Both said they were immensely proud of the local community and their dedication to finding Momo.

Browder slipped the dog's sweater on for warmth and clutched him to her chest, crying as she forced a smile.

"This has been a tragedy in my family and if one thing can come out of it, it's finding him," she said. "I'm so thankful for everybody who came out to help my family in this time of loss. Just to bring him back to me mends a little of what's broken."

Wednesday's fatal accident occurred when the Chevrolet Suburban in which Browder was a passenger hit a patch of ice on the freeway.

Others in the vehicle included David Browder, 55, of Cascade, Mont., who was killed; Memory Browder, 14; and Bond Browder, 29, and Stephen Todd, 54, of Johnsonville, S.C., who all were seriously injured.

Source: http://siouxcityjournal.com/news/local/family-reunited-with-missing-dog-after-i--crash-near/article_f2f25c53-db8c-5690-a6fb-795a766f1072.html

Bryce Lost in Chicago

Woman In Poland Helps Highland Park Family Find Their Missing Dog
November 13, 2013 10:19 PM

Who could have imagined it? A dog lost in Highland Park is found, thanks to a woman in Poland. How did it happen? CBS 2’s Mike Parker has this original report.

Bryce the dog is back in Highland Park with family and friends after quite an adventure. Last week he chased a truck down the street, was hit, broke his leg and limped off – stunned. He disappeared.

His owner, Amy Silverman, started searching.

“I came home,” she recalls, “and immediately went to Facebook and said, ‘Social media I need your help. We lost our dog. Here’s a picture of him.’”

Amy included her phone number.

Three days later in Deerfield, a half mile away, two little girls spotted a tired, hungry and injured dog in their grandfather’s backyard. The grandfather, Zbigniew Cianciara, was on the phone with one of his daughters, Eva Banka, who was in Poland, and mentioned spotting the dog to her.

“She said, ‘Oh my God I just saw a black dog on my Facebook, that the dog was actually missing in Highland Park, and I’m going to call the lady,’” recalled Cianciara.

Silverman’s phone rang.

“I got a call from and woman and she said, ‘Is this Amy?’ I said yes and she said, ‘My name is Eva. I’m calling from Poland and I found your dog,’” she said.

Silverman says of social media now, “I may not want to know what you had for dinner last night, (but) there are certainly great reasons to post and get help.”

Once Bryce was found and snuggled and loved, he had surgery for his broken leg. He’ll have to wear a metal brace for 12 weeks, but he’ll be fine.

It is a small world after all.


Source: http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2013/11/13/woman-in-poland-helps-highland-park-family-find-their-missing-dog/

Taz Davies

Thanks to a microchip & good samaritans, little Taz made his way home!!

Bella Lost from Keller

Good Samaritans Catch a Dog Missing for Two Years
Posted by ADMIN
December 5, 2013

After having been missing for nearly two years, an elusive dog named Bella was finally caught with the help of a rescue group and a couple of good Samaritans and returned home to her worried mom, who never lost hope that they’d be reunited.

Bella was reunited with her owner Melanie Barnes on December 4, 2013, two years after she ran away from Barnes' home in Keller.

Farnaz Memarzadeh first noticed the stray dog in 2012, when she was wandering around the woods by University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

“I couldn’t ignore the situation — especially because it was right in front of me,” said Farnaz.

She called her Nadine, and tried to catch her, but could never get close enough. Over the summer, Farnaz contacted Duck Team 6, a rescue group that specializes in catching street dogs.

“Most of the time, I set up a trap, we catch our dog that day,” said Pat Rodriguez. “It might be a couple hours, but we catch our dog.”

Duck Team 6 spent two months trying to catch Bella, but to no avail. But on Tuesday, a maintenance worker from the medical center tried something no dog could resist – some KFC.

“He had a unique strategy that we had never tried,” Farnaz said. “He took Kentucky Fried Chicken — the crispy kind — and hung it from a string at the end of the trap, kind of like mistletoe from the ceiling.”

Now, most of us know that dogs aren’t supposed to be given bone-in chicken, because the bones can splinter in their digestive tracts, but desperate times call for desperate measures. One dangling drumstick and Bella was caught.

She was taken to veterinarian, who found she had ear mites and hookworms – but also a microchip. Her home was in Keller, TX, 37 miles away. Owner Melanie Barnes was delighted to receive the phone call she had waited so long for.

“It’s been a long time, sweetheart!” Melanie said to Bella during their reunion at Farnaz’s home. “It’s been a long time.”



No one knows how she managed to get all the way to Dallas after jumping the fence in her yard, or how she scavenged enough food to stay alive so long. Hopefully now she’ll stay home where she’ll be spoiled for the rest of her life.

Source: http://www.khou.com/news/texas-news/Dangling-drumstick-catches-stray-dog-missing-for-two-years-234583391.html

OD, rottweiler puppy

Homeless man helps reunite snowbird from Alaska with lost dog
Posted: Dec 4, 2013

TUCSON- A snowbird from Alaska and his six month old Rottweiler were reunited this week thanks to the kindness of complete strangers.

Teddy Tonne and his pup named "O.D.", which stands for "Outdoor Dog", share the same birthday, June 6.

In October, they traveled to Tucson from Alaska, where Tonne spends his spring and summer months.

They were an inseparable pair, until last Saturday night, when O.D. suddenly ran off. "There was no way I could chase after him and that was it," Tonne says.

Or so Tonne thought.

Little did the Vietnam War Veteran know, O.D. was headed straight to 4th Avenue and Congress Street, where he started swerving in between cars. That's when a homeless man named John Benvenga found him. "It was a pretty busy night and I'm glad he found me," Benvenga says.

Benvenga immediately set out to find the dog's rightful owner, but he quickly realized it wouldn't be an easy task. "I saw the tags and I saw he was from Alaska," Benvenga says. "So I had no idea how he got down here. I thought maybe with some traveling kids or maybe with someone who just moved here."

After contacting shelters with no luck, Benvenga turned to his friend Lizzie Mead, an animal advocate. "It became our mission," Mead says. "We were going to find his owner and bring him back."

Mead posted a picture of O.D. on Facebook and in a short matter of time the picture was shared by more than 2,000 users. Before she knew it, Mead was getting tips about O.D.'s owner. That information, along with some extensive internet searches, helped Mead and Benvenga track down Tonne's family members in Alaska, who then contacted him.

Tonne was reunited with O.D. on Wednesday. "I don't know what I would do without that dog," Tonne says.

Benvenga, who also served in the military for a couple of years, says he plans to keep in close contact with Tonne and O.D.



Of course dog owners can't always depend on the kindness of strangers to help locate lost dogs. Mead says this incident is a reminder for pet owners to get their dogs micro chipped.

Source: http://www.kvoa.com/news/homeless-man-helps-reunite-snowbird-from-alaska-with-lost-dog/

Dexter, pitbull

Dog found under rubble 9 days after Ill. tornado
Associated Press
November 29, 2013


WASHINGTON, Ill. (AP) — A six-month-old pit bull that was buried under a pile of rubble for more than a week after a tornado ripped through a central Illinois city has been coaxed to freedom with hot dogs and reunited with his owner.

Jacob Montgomery, a member of the Illinois National Guard, was separated from the dog, Dexter, when the Nov. 17 tornado destroyed his third-floor apartment in Washington. Montgomery combed through the wreckage multiple times but turned up no sign of Dexter.

Nine days after the storm, a neighbor who was looking for his cat, also missing, with the help of a group called Rescuing Animals in Need sent Montgomery a Facebook message to tell him Dexter had been found partially buried in debris where the apartment building used to stand.

"He said, 'I've got your dog right here,'" Montgomery recalled in a statement released by the Illinois National Guard. "As soon as Dexter saw me, his tail started going."

The pooch was in relatively good shape.

"The vet said he has no real injuries — just a few scrapes and cuts," said Montgomery, who got Dexter as a puppy to keep him company when he moved from Champaign. "He was malnourished, but he's going to be fine."

The Washington tornado was part of a band of heavy storms that brought rain, high winds and a rash of twisters to Illinois, and left seven people dead in its wake.

Montgomery has been a military police officer with the Illinois Army National Guard for more than five years and is trained to respond to emergencies. But he says he's never been the victim of such a disaster.

"All I had in my apartment is gone, but my dog was all I really had to worry about," he said.

Montgomery is staying with a friend in nearby Peoria until he can find a new home.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dog-found-under-rubble-9-days-ill-tornado-191006023.html

Harley, chocolate lab

HARLEY reunited with his family ... AFTER 5 YEARS!
Humane Society of Central Washington on Facebook
November 19, 2013

You read that right -- 5 years. Harley came to Yakima Humane Society last week -- an amiable, 10-year-old Labrador Retriever / Mix. Neutered, microchipped, well-mannered -- Harley had to belong to someone, right?

Our staff looked up his record, yet the home phone number for the registered owner "Andrea" was no longer valid (TIP: Update your phone numbers on your pets' microchips!!), yet a work phone number led us to a former workplace. We contacted the workplace last week, yet did not receive a callback.

Meanwhile, Harley enamored us all (you know that feeling, right, Pet Advocates?), remain patient & happy throughout our daily rounds, walks, etc. He had come in with a bit of a cough, yet was being treated & doing nicely.

On Saturday, our staff contacted the workplace again -- imploring them to contact Andrea & get back to us.

That afternoon, we received a phone call from Andrea's relative, "I hear you've found a dog?" We explained the situation, that Harley had come to us as a stray & we traced his microchip back to Andrea.

The gentleman stated, "I can't believe it. Harley went missing 2 years ago. We let him out in the backyard for a bit, called him in an hour later, & the gate was open -- Harley was gone. ... For months we went out on every chocolate lab sighting in the County ... We finally gave up." He said he'd call Andrea & she'd be right in on Monday.

Andrea was at the shelter door before we opened. Talking with her further, she stated Harley had been missing 5 years ... FIVE years!! ... & they never knew what happened to him.

Harley & Andrea's 1st meeting in 5 years brought tears of joy to all of our eyes. Harley wasn't quite sure who Andrea was at first, yet warmed up quickly, & they were on their way into the sunset together.

Our staff / volunteer team is still in shock, awe, gratitude & wonder over Harley's reunion with Andrea. Where has Harley been? What adventures, trials, joys has he had? No matter, dogs live in the moment, & this moment is one of the best we've ever experienced!

Lessons to SHARE: MICROCHIP your pets. Keep the contact info UP-TO-DATE. NEVER give up. Together our community is reuniting pets with their families!!!

Blessings to you Harley & Andrea. Many happy years ahead.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153542498610014&set=a.10150160300150014.422310.317653620013&type=1&theater

Jasmine, boxer

Lost dog found in Oklahoma had microchip, to be reunited with North Dakota family
Jasmine, an 8-year-old boxer, went missing two months ago from her home in Minot, N.D.
By Matt Patterson
Published: November 19, 2013

Nobody knows how Jasmine ended up in Oklahoma City from her home in North Dakota, but the 8-year-old Boxer will be reunited with her family Tuesday thanks to a microchip and a lot of luck.

Free to Live Animal Sanctuary kennel master Willy Fields gets a kiss from Jasmine, an 8-year-old boxer he found wandering in Logan County. The dog will be reunited with its owners in North Dakota on Tuesday.

Jasmine was found on a Logan County road this month by Free to Live Animal Sanctuary kennel master Willy Fields. When the dog was taken to Sunset Vet Clinic in Edmond to get checked and prepared for adoption, a microchip was found with her owner's information.

Micro chipping has become popular in recent years. The dog owner's information is stored on a chip that is surgically implanted in a dog's skin. Many veterinarian clinics and animal shelters can scan the dogs to see if they have a chip.

Tina Bohn said Jasmine turned up missing from their Minot, N.D., home about two months ago.

“We were very surprised to get the call,” Bohn said. “It wasn't like her to wander off and after this much time had passed we thought we'd never see her again.”

Jasmine will fly to North Dakota on Tuesday. Bohn said she thinks Jasmine was stolen.

“We figured someone probably took her,” Bohn said. “That's the only explanation I have. I don't think she could have made it down there on her own. She had to have had some help.”



Veterinarian Danel Grimmett said Jasmine is in good health despite her ordeal. Grimmett said it is an example of why owners should microchip their dogs. She said her dog was found and reunited with her thanks to a microchip.

Source: http://newsok.com/lost-dog-found-in-oklahoma-had-microchip-to-be-reunited-with-north-dakota-family/article/3906069

Stella, lost during a tornado

The Search for Stella: Storm Victims Reunited With Lost Dog
11/19/2013

PEKIN - Many dogs and cats are still homeless as shattered communities work to rebuild. Now, their owners are turning to social media as a way to find their pets. Thanks to technology, those efforts are paying off.

Sunday aftermath:

Tornado victims Josh Stevens and Margaret Greenhalgh don't have a place to live. Their belongings are gone. But their lives are complete…all because of  Stella.

"It’s been a pretty profound situation since I found her,” said Stevens.

On Sunday, the pair arrived at their Washington apartment complex to a disaster scene.

"The kitchen wall is gone, the roof is tore off,” Stevens described.  “Worst case scenarios were running through my head.”

The young dog was nowhere to be found.

"Everybody’s like, ‘Well, what are you going to do?  We've been wondering where you're going to go.’  I didn't care," said Stevens.  "Nothing mattered because I didn't have her."

“She’s our baby, she’s just so sweet,” said Greenhalgh.

The days passed. Frantic, Stevens turned to social media looking for leads on his long lost pal.

"I posted the picture of her and the caption just said, ‘Lost contact me.’  It just kind of steamrolled,” said Stevens.

A photo, shared nearly 10,000 times.

“It wasn't just Illinois,” said Stevens.  “There were people in Wisconsin, Tennessee, and Louisiana that were hitting me up.  It was wonderful."

Shortly after, Stevens received a call from a local animal clinic. Stella had been located.

 "I wish I could thank whoever found her.  I'm indebted to them."

"Thank you, thank you so much for helping us out,” added Greenhalgh.  “Now it’s happy tears.”

All because of a Facebook post.




The power of communication, that sent Stella back home.

"For those who haven't found their pets yet...don't give up,” said Greenhalgh.

“I wish I could thank everybody one by one,” said Stevens.

Good Deeds:

The couple is now using social media to help other storm victims find their pets.

Source: http://www.centralillinoisproud.com/story/the-search-for-stella-storm-victims-reunited-with-lost-dog/d/story/t2S2KghrTEap2eGkxedT1Q