A dog in England has been reunited with his owners after more than two months, reports BBC. One-year-old Boy, a German Shepherd, disappeared from his Nottinghamshire home in November 2023. Following his disappearance, the pup’s family contacted Beauty’s Legacy, a local charity dedicated to finding missing animals.
Microchip helps dog reunite with owners
Recently, someone purchased the dog. Following this, they unsuspectingly tried to change his microchip. Resultantly, an alert was sent to the microchip company. Subsequently, Beauty’s Legacy managed to track down Boy’s original owners. The canine was found living 200 miles away from his original home in Nottinghamshire.
Lisa Dean, the founder of the charity, said the dog’s owners were delighted to be reunited with their beloved pet, adding that they had “missed him so much.”
Although Boy’s disappearance was reported to the police, authorities couldn’t come up with any leads. “It was reported to police but as there was no direct evidence of theft, there wasn’t much they could do,” Dean shared.
She said Beauty’s Legacy put up posters and shared social media posts after the dog’s owners reached out to them following his disappearance. “But as Boy wasn’t officially stolen, he wasn’t going to appear on any statistics or records like that,” Dean added.
She further shared the pup was found “in good condition” although “a little tired.” Continuing, she said, “We get three or four calls a day about missing animals.”
“Not just dogs but cats, birds, goats – nothing is sacred,” Dean added. “And the best thing people can do is get in touch and come forward.”
“Because the more we know, the better chance we have of getting these animals back where they belong,” she said.
Pet theft on the rise
In recent years, the United Kingdom has witnessed a surge in pet theft. According to BBC, 436 dogs were stolen in London in 2023, with only 9% of them being recovered. Debbie Matthews, co-founder of the Stolen and Missing Pets Alliance, said there are a number of issues preventing stolen pets from reuniting with their families.
Although canines are required to be microchipped as per the law after turning eight weeks old in the UK, the problem only seems to be getting worse. “If a dog is stolen and it’s made too hot to handle, a lot of people just let the dog go loose,” she said. “That dog will then be picked up as a stray and go to a vets or a dog wardens.”
She also added that, in many cases, microchips aren’t updated. Hence, it becomes difficult to track down the missing dog’s owners.
