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