Microchip reunites owner and ‘Baby’ after three years
When Aucklander De-Anna microchipped her much-loved puppy, Baby, she had no idea this simple act would lead to a call from Far North District Council and end three years of anguish.
Baby was handed in as a stray to the council at the end of October. Now very much full-grown, a veterinary check showed she was in very poor condition with a debilitating skin infection, ear infection, and infected toes. Baby the ‘gentle giant’ also had a large mammary tumour and signs of having birthed multiple litters. The bulldog-cross also demonstrated a fear of people.
The council Animal Management Officers (AMOs) quickly got to work tracking down Baby’s owner via her microchip. Because De-Anna had registered Baby’s 15-digit microchip code and updated her own details on the National Dog Database, making contact turned out to be easy.
De-Anna was completely shocked when the AMOs called to say Baby had been found, and floods of tears soon followed. She confirmed that Baby was presumed stolen years before and she didn’t think she would ever see her pet again.
Reuniting De-Anna and Baby was a little more complicated now that they were over 200 kilometres apart. But the AMOs made a call to PT Pet Transport, who quickly agreed to come to the rescue, offering to transport Baby at no cost.
Just two days after being found, Baby was travelling down to Auckland to be reunited with De-Anna, but her ordeal isn’t fully over. Baby’s journey back to good health will also be a long one. De-Anna says Baby needs an operation to remove a cyst from her breast, as well as weekly vet visits for her skin infections and treatments for numerous cysts. De-Anna has set up a Givealittle page to fund Baby’s recovery.
De-Anna was so grateful for the AMOs' work to reunite them, she sent them a video showing Baby settling back in at home, remembering old tricks and learning to trust people again.
Microchipping increases your chances of finding a missing pet and can reduce the time it might take. Registering your pet’s unique microchip code and keeping your contact details up to date are key to a successful reunion.
All dogs are required to be microchipped within two months of their first registration. Microchipping costs $35 through the Far North District Council. You can find more information here.
Watch the video De-Anna made of her reunion with Baby.
Picture below - 'Gentle giant' Baby reunited with owner De-Anna.
