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.
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
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