Experience is often said to be the best teacher, and that is how one local teen learned the importance of microchipping her pet.
Valeria Torres’ dog Benny got loose from his kennel and ran out an open door last month. Though the family searched the area around their Mesquite home, they were not able to find him by the end of the day. Torres called Mesquite Animal Services but was told they did not have her beloved little pug.
Torres was not aware that there was another shelter in the area. The shelter in Sunnyvale picked up Benny on May 20, the same day he had scampered away from home, but because Benny was not wearing a collar with tags and was not microchipped, the shelter had no way to identify the dog’s owner.
After four days, the dog was adopted by Tina Austin, the founder of Cody’s Friends Rescue, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping “homeless, unwanted, neglected, and abused dogs find loving, forever homes.” The group also aims to educate the public about the importance of neutering and spaying pets.
Cody’s Friends Rescue took the pug to a veterinarian for a complete health check-up and had him tested for heartworms, neutered, and microchipped, spending about $600.
In the meantime, Torres began searching for Benny via social media and finally connected with someone who said they had spotted the dog on the Cody’s Friends Rescue webpage. Torres immediately recognized her beloved pet when she saw his picture and went to the animal rescue to retrieve him. However, by this time, a new family had adopted the dog.
Torres appealed to local news outlet NBC 5 for assistance in getting her dog back, and after some back-and-forth discussion and negotiation between all parties involved, she was finally reunited with her beloved pet on June 2.
Austin provided a basket of gift items for the dog and a year’s worth of heartworm-prevention medication, and Torres offered to reimburse Cody’s Friends Rescue for some of the cost of the pug’s care.
“I’m really happy because he’ll be able to attend my graduation,” Torres told NBC 5.
“I’m so glad it’s over,” Austin told NBC 5 after Torres drove away with the dog. “Spay and neutering, microchipping [are] the most important, because this would’ve never taken place.”
“I really do regret not doing it,” Torres admitted after the nearly two-week ordeal.
