I’m sure we all see strays every day – stray cats, an occasional stray dog, a wandering possum – either way (especially in the dog and cat cases) the right thing to do would be to pick them up. That is if you can catch them!

A Good Samaritan of sorts was driving on Old Hwy 33 in Lakeland earlier this month and spotted a wandering Pug. Pugs are typically heavy panters and don’t do well out in the hot Florida sun without some sustenance and hydration. So, this passerby picked up the lucky pug and took him to our Incoming Animals area. A microchip scan revealed much-needed info – an address, phone number and owner name. We called them.

The owners were SO HAPPY! Suse, the pug, had been missing for 3 weeks. After all of the excitement calmed down, the owner asked, “Where are you located?” Shelly, one of our Adoption Center staff, gave the usual info about being off of South Florida Avenue near Sonny’s and the next question was a little surprising.

“Where in Miami is that?”

 Suse was one happy pug when she was reunited to her “dad”.

Yes – you read that right! The owners (and the dog) were from Miami. Somehow Suse had hitchhiked her way all the way to Lakeland and a microchip was the lifesaver and source of reuniting this panting pug with her forever family.

What can we learn from this heartwarming story?

1. Microchip your pets! This could be the only way that a reunion is possible if you become separated somehow.

2. Make sure your information is updated with your microchipping company. Often, we forget that they need to be updated each time we move, too.

3. If you see a stray, pick it up. You could be the good Samaritan in your own heartwarming story of a much- needed reunion.

See the Bay News 9 story and video here: http://www.baynews9.com/article/news/2010/july/120449/Missing-Miami-pug-turns-up-in-Lakeland-weeks-later