WATCH

Apr 10, 2023

A microchip embedded in a Husky named Storm recently led to an "improbable reunion" with her owner over 1,200 miles away.

The owner of the dog, who was found last month on Park Avenue, lives in Miami, and reached out to Hot Springs Animal Services after being contacted by the microchip company.

"A gentleman up on Park Avenue had said that he found a dog in the roadway," Lt. LeeAnn Zaner, director of Hot Springs Animal Services, said. "It was really sweet. He captured it in his garage. Officer (Joe) Gauer responded up there and found it was just a super sweet dog and scanned it for a microchip."

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Zaner said the dog had not been in contact with Animal Services in the past, so she was brought in and photographed, and the photo was posted on social media to try to help find her owner.

"We went ahead and put it on social media that day, that we encountered a husky and had it brought back to the facility," she said. "Then the secretary and myself went and entered it into the microchip database to see if we can locate it in there."

The microchip company that was used for Storm's microchip does not provide those searching for the owner with the contact information but contacts the owner to say the animal has been located.

"They don't give you the information of the owner," Zaner said of the company. "You type in your information, the microchip information, what dog it was found on, the sex of the dog, the condition of the dog and an email address and a phone number, and you wait on the owner to contact you because they will then send an email and a phone call to that owner. So that was the process with that particular microchip."

The owner called the next day to ask about where he could pick up Storm.

"We assumed that he was here or located somewhere near here, so we're like, 'OK, just come on up here and pick it up here at city of Hot Springs Animal Services,'" Zaner said. "And he's like, 'I don't know where that's at. Where's that at?'"

After giving him the address, it was clear there was still some confusion, Zaner said, and he explained he was in Miami, Florida.

"The dog had only went missing, I think 10 or 11 days, I think, almost two weeks prior, and so we were all kind of baffled," she said. "We said, 'Well, obviously it hitched a ride somewhere, and then got away from someone and ended up here.' But that's that improbable reunion because of a microchip because a collar can be taken off, tags can be taken off, but those microchips are implanted in them."

Faith Wetzler, the coordinator with Animal Services, was planning a vacation in Florida, and she was able to set up a meeting with the owner.

"She owns her own rescue as well," Zaner said. "She agreed to house the dog at her rescue up until it was time to go there, and she was going on vacation in Florida. They've been communicating for the last few weeks, and whenever she was driving down there, she drove it down there. And he drove up a few hours, and they met in St. Augustine, Florida, at Treaty Park and had that reunion everyone's seen," referring a video of the rendezvous.

Zaner strongly encourages pet owners to have their pets microchipped for situations like this one.

"It's extremely difficult because all we have is social media and people calling up here, giving us flyers if they're missing dogs, and so forth," she said of trying to find an owner when there is no microchip.

"This would have been an improbable reunion. That dog would have never been located if it was on social media. It would have been adopted out or something else because that owner would not have been checking the city of Hot Springs Animal Services Facebook page or anything like that."

Microchips are only $20 and take only a few minutes, Zaner said.

"That's the only fee you have to pay," she said. "You don't have to pay a registration fee. Some other companies you do, but it's just that simple. And it takes less than five minutes. People come in and out, and in five minutes are done. So that microchip, that's the only reason we had this reunion, and that's the only reason we've had several reunions. I just can't go over that enough that if you don't have a microchip, your chances of being reunited with your dog are slim."

Pet owners should also keep the information on the microchip updated.

"We have two dogs in our facility right now that are microchipped, but they've passed through multiple owners, and we cannot find the newest owner," Zaner said. "So they're in here languishing for days and days and days, and then we have to adopt them out. One was hit by a car. We've already sought the medical treatment. We've had him for two weeks, he just got back from the medical hospital, and we can't find the owner.

"If you get a dog from someone, go ahead and change the information in the system. It's very simple to do."

There are hundreds of animals that come through Animal Services each year, she said.

"(We had) 241 last month, whether it be strays, owner surrenders, court cases ... 241, and that's a staggering amount," she said. "We want to save them all, and we try and do our best. But I mean, the percentage of microchipped animals that come through here is very minimal. I would say less than 10%."

In fact, within a 30-minute period Tuesday afternoon, eight pets were surrendered by their owners to Animal Services. Dogs can be adopted from Animal Services for $75, and cats can be adopted for $55, Zaner said.

"That covers their spay, neuter, rabies vaccination and their microchip, which is covered within that $75 or $55 fee that we have you pay," she said. "We have several people that have paid it forward for adoptions, so there's several. We have about eight or nine dog adoptions right now that are free. It's on specific dogs, and you can come through and look and see what dogs and we try and advertise those weekly.

"You just need to have a valid ID or driver's license, and you need to be willing to know what you need to do to have that animal. You don't need to adopt a large German Shepherd if you have a one-bedroom apartment and no room to walk it. So we try to discuss those things, but that's all you need.

"Now, if you're going to adopt a puppy or kitten that's prior to six months old, we do want you to live in Garland County as part of our city ordinance because we have to enforce their spay and neuter. That's the only reason why on those puppies and kittens that you have to live in Garland County."

For more information about Hot Springs Animal Services or to see what animals are available for adoption, visit https://cityhs.net/126/Animal-Services, or visit their offices at 319 Davidson Drive between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Print Headline: WATCH | Husky in Hot Springs reunited with owner in Miami

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