By Matt Blake
11 February 2013
A Great Dane has returned to his owner a year after he was snatched by burglars during an opportunistic raid on her home..
The heart-warming tale began when Zorro, who weighs 170lbs, vanished from owner Marcie Trogdon's house, in Jamestown, Virginia, in November 2011 after she popped out, leaving the door on the latch.
When she returned minutes later, she realised thieves had struck and Zorro was nowhere to be seen.
'A laptop or a TV can be replaced. Zorro is like a family member. All my kids are grown, so he’s my baby,' she told Fox News at the time.
Nice to see you again: Zorro, who weighs 170lbs, vanished from owner Marcie Trogdon's home, in Jamestown, Virginia, after she popped out of her house, leaving the door on the latch
Despite a far-reaching 'missing dog campaign' and extensive police search, he was never found and Marcie was forced to move on with her life, even buying a new dog in a bid to fill the void left by Zorro.
Then on Wednesday night, a flea-bitten and mangy-looking stray who looked remarkably like Zorro appeared in her back yard.
'[My neighbour] was like "Do you know who’s dog this is?" And I said, "what dog?" and about that time Zorro comes running around the corner and I said "Oh my God! That’s Zorro",' she told the station.
'He immediately came up to the fence and as soon as I let him in he knew he was home.'
Exactly what happened to Zorro in the 16 months he was missing remains a mystery.
A trip to the vet revealed he had contracted ringworm and was overweight, but suffered no serious illness.
'My emotion was "I'm so glad", then "oh my God what's wrong with his skin?"' said Dr Joe Kinarney.
'We don't know what's happened in that time, we don't know the exposure to parasite or to diseases,' the vet added.
Trogdon thinks someone stole her dog and brought him back when his care became too expensive.
But she says she doesn't care what happened to him. She is just glad to have her dog at home again.
'I just can't believe that my boy is back,' she said, tears of joy filling her eyes.
His story is remarkably similar to the 1993 movie Homeward Bound: An Incredible Journey, that follows an American bulldog, a golden retriever and a Himalayan cat as they trek across America on a quest to return to their human family.
The film, which is a remake of the 1963 Disney classic The Incedible Journey, starred Michael J. Fox, Don Ameche and Sally Field as the voices of Chance, Shadow and Sassy and was so popular it spawned sequel Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco.
The trio encounter a string of dangers including falling into a torrid river, facing a hungry grizzly bear, surviving a chance encounter with an angry porcupine and escaping from an animal pound.
After learning to overcome adversity by working together they become friends and finally return home to their owners.
Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2276945/Homeward-hound-Incredible-return-Great-Dane-showed-owners-doorstep-A-YEAR-stolen-burglars.html
No comments:
Post a Comment