A Maltese mix who ended up five hundred miles from home is back in his grateful fur mom’s arms. His family is glad they thought of microchipping him; otherwise, they may have never found the dog.
One February night, Josephine Zino let her seven-year-old Maltese mix Zino out in the backyard to do his business. It was part of their routine, and the fur mom had no reason to expect that night would be different.
But it was. When Josephine called out for Zino, she got no response. She soon found out that her beloved pet had gone missing in the few minutes he was out of her sight.
The fur mom suspects that a crime ring may have stolen the Maltese mix from her fenced yard in East Chicago, Indiana. There were similar cases reported around that time not just in the area, but also in Hammond.
Josephine logged the incident with the East Chicago Police Department and then took to social media to seek help in finding Zino. The fur mom posted her number and even offered a reward for the pooch.
While she received a few calls about her post, the Maltese mix remained missing for several months. Josephine never lost hope that she would find Zino, but she admits that the experience was harrowing.
More than five months to the day Zino got stolen, Josephine finally got the news she had been desperately awaiting. Five hundred miles away in St. Cloud, Minnesota, a couple found a Maltese mix roaming the streets and picked him up.
When they failed to find his owner from among their neighbors, the couple handed the dog over to Animal Control, who scanned the pooch for a microchip. That’s how they were able to contact Josephine and send her photos of Zino.
Josephine couldn’t believe the canine was her Zino at first because he looked neglected. However, the Maltese was feeling himself again after a week at the Tri-County Humane Society, where he got a good scrubbing and lots of cuddles from the staff.
Two animal organizations, Grey Face Rescue and Mutt Mutt Engine, worked together to fly the pooch to the Chicago Midway International Airport, where his family greeted him. Josephine is immensely grateful to the volunteers for going out of their way to help her and Zino.
Anna Stratton, the customer service manager of the Tri-County Humane Society, considers Zino’s story as yet another proof of the importance of microchipping pets. Josephine agrees, saying that the chip can serve as a ray of hope when one’s pet goes missing.
The police have yet to find out who’s responsible for the dog thefts, so a microchip is definitely a great idea. Watch Zino back with his family in East Chicago here:
Source: WGN News on YouTube
