Every owner who has lost a pet – even for a short time – has experienced worry, frustration, panic and anxiety. But imagine if your beloved pet went missing for six and a half years.
Bronwyn Ryan-Mercer’s Pomeranian Honey did just that, disappearing in 2003.
This week, Bronwyn and Honey were finally reunited at The Lost Dogs’ Home.
Originally found as a stray by Bronwyn’s daughter Courtney, the family brought Honey to The Lost Dogs’ Home so her owner had the opportunity to find her. When that didn’t happen, Honey was adopted by the family and was inseparable from Bronwyn’s mother, who was battling illness.
When her mother was admitted to hospital, Honey fretted before escaping to try and find her friend. “They shared a very strong bond. When mum passed away Honey went missing. She was taken to The Lost Dogs’ Home who called us to come and collect her. When she came back to us she was very unsettled that mum wasn’t here and ran off again.”
What followed was almost seven years of anguish for the family. “We grieved for mum and for Honey too. We’d tried every avenue to find her with no luck. While we never forgot Honey, we never thought we’d see her again.”
Until Monday, when Honey was scanned for a microchip at The Lost Dogs’ Home, after being brought in as a stray and staff called the corresponding phone number.
“I thought at first there was a mistake,” said Bronwyn. “I couldn’t believe that after all this time Honey would be coming home.”
Honey’s microchip was on the National Pet Register, which operates Australia’s largest free pet ID service.
This reunion would not have happened if Honey was not microchipped and the contact details kept up to date.
General Manager of The Lost Dogs’ Home Sue Conroy was there when Honey was reunited with Bronwyn, “Honey recognised her immediately, even after all this time apart. It was a happy ending and lovely to witness. Whoever has had her in the interim never bothered to have her scanned for a microchip or took her to an animal shelter, which is what any finder of a lost pet should do in the first instance.”
The Lost Dogs’ Home and National Pet Register urges pet owners to ensure their pet is wearing current collar identification as well as being permanently identified by microchip. For more information, visit www.petregister.com.au.
Honey’s story was published in the Herald Sun today.
