Casper, a cocker spaniel

Heartwarming story of some city workers that each played a part in finding a stray dog’s family. I like the resourcefulness that Mike used when he got to the address found via the dog’s collar tag and the house was empty. I can’t figure out if he was able to go inside the home, or if he could see the mail through a window. But it worked! Enjoy the story.


Dog's Safe Return: On Halloween One Local Dog Got Quite A Treat
12 November 2003


Jim Orton, the City of Bremerton's Public Works and Utilities (PW&U) Fleet Maintenance Manager, informed Janet Martelle, the City's PW&U Customer Response Dispatch Operator, that an older cocker spaniel had entered their building and taken up residence. Jim said the dog had a collar and tags, but the phone number listed on the tag was disconnected. Janet told him she would see what she could do.


"I looked up the telephone number in my reverse directory and got the address and name of the owner. I called information, but there was no forwarding phone number," explained Janet.


She went a step further and called the Kitsap Humane Society to see if they had any more information than she did from the dog’s license number. Janet said they tried very hard to help her, but they did not have anything she could use to locate the parents of the dog.


"This poor dog was older, and seemed very frightened," recalls Janet, "He was shaking all over." Not wanting to give up, Janet called one of the City’s Water Maintenance employees, Mike Bishop, who happened to be the person Janet was dispatching Customer Service calls to that day. Janet said she knew that Mike was a dog owner himself, and an extremely nice person. She asked him if he could do a mission of mercy for her and go to the owner's Kitsap Lake address and see if anyone was around.


Though Mike was very busy, after hearing the story he said he would help her, no problem. Arriving at the Kitsap Lake address, Mike saw that the owners had moved but noticed a new address on the mail sitting inside of the home. The new address was on National Avenue.


Mike went to National Avenue and found the owner, who had been driving all over town looking for the dog. The owner informed Mike that the dog was deaf. Even more ironic, the dog’s name was Casper!


Mike made a quick trip back to the City's PW&U Oyster Bay office, picked up Casper and delivered him back home to his owner, safe and warm.


Janet said she cannot express how pleased she is to have a co-worker like Mike. She added that she and Mike had warm hearts on Halloween, knowing that the dog was safely back home.

Source:
http://www.ci.bremerton.wa.us/articles.php?id=198&bremcity=e