Little Joey the dachshund led a happy life at his home in Florida! The yard of his home provided a large amount of land for him and his fellow canines to romp and relax. But one day in November 2014 he found a spot to escape.
Shortly after he got out someone sighted a person picking him up and putting him in their car on a street very close to his home. While weeks and then months of no positive leads to bring him home, his mom Sheila at least took comfort in knowing about this sighting of him being put into a car, as the potential fate of him taking a wrong turn in the direction of an alligator infested area adjacent to their home could have portended a grim ending.
Two years passed and no sign of Joey, that is until a few weeks ago. Someone had found Joey in an area within 10 miles of his original home and took him into the South Animal Care and Adoption Center, it is run by Brevard County Sheriffs Office. It was a Sunday shortly before the facility was going to close, and Sheila’s husband who received the call took them up on the offer to hightail over and bring little Joey home right away to spare them both one more night apart!
What someone does with a pet they find roaming loose can play a large role in how soon and if the pet ever makes it home to their owner. In Joey’s case, as with many others, his collar and tags were not on. What’s important about that fact, beyond a potential quick call to an owner with a phone number easy to read and call, is that many people will deem that the dog has no owner, or at least, one that may not care since the dog is out loose.
If a pet is found roaming, collar or no collar, the finder NEEDS TO MAKE AN EFFORT to find the owner. Always ASSUME they have an owner that could be frantically trying to find them.
Here are some steps to follow:
- Take the pet into a vet or shelter as soon as possible to have it scanned for a microchip.
- Post flyers of a found pet in the area where it was found
- Post info about the found pet on area Lost/Found FB pages, as well as on Craigslist and other tools available.
Remember to microchip, register,
and keep your contact info updated!
Even if your pet has gone missing and it’s been some time,
you might one day get that miracle call!
Check out our archive from our
Monday Microchip Miracles blog
click here to read other happy reunion tales!
#LoveTagChip YOUR pet.