Petlog ends two year search for Bull Mastiff, Tia

Tia, a Bull Mastiff from Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland has recently been reunited with her family after being missing for over two years!  Tia is just one of the many thousands of pets reunited with their owners, thanks to Petlog, the largest pet reunification service in the UK, which safeguards over 3 million pets.

Sadly, unlike Tia, thousands of pets go missing every year and many are not reunited with their owners as they do not have any form of identification.  Tia's remarkable and emotional story is just one of the many success stories where pets have been reunited because their owners have taken responsibility for their pet's safety and welfare by having a microchip painlessly inserted under the dog's skin.

Tia went missing in September 2004, after escaping from the back garden of her owner, Charlotte Grainge. Charlotte vividly remembers the distress that Tia's disappearance caused: "Tia was very important to our family we were extremely upset at her loss.  We were under a lot of stress and suffered tremendous anxiety when looking for her.  It had a profound effect on the whole family.

"We did everything we could to try and find her again by displaying leaflets and posters around the neighbourhood, approaching local papers and regularly checking local police stations and kennels in the surrounding area.  We never gave up hope. We contacted the Petlog Helpline, who were very supportive and caring about our search.   They put an advertisement on their website with details of Tia and alerted all people and organisations that may be likely to pick Tia up in our area."

Remarkably it wasn't until two years and two months later that Tia was discovered several miles away at kennels in South Hetton, County Durham at the beginning of November 2006, where she was scanned for her microchip and identified.

Charlotte said: "When I heard the news, I cried at the shock, because I never in my wildest dreams thought I would get her back home again.  The whole family was elated with Tia's return and it was such a relief to discover Tia was ok.

"To be reunited with your pet is the most amazing feeling in the world and it is because of the microchip that we were fortunate enough to get Tia back.  Tia was over 25 miles from our home and it was the microchip that enabled her to be traced back to us.  We are so thankful to Petlog and the veterinary practice - we would definitely encourage other pet owners to microchip their pets. Tia is recovering well from her ordeal and the experience has made our family stronger and closer."

Petlog understands just how devastating it can be for an owner to lose a pet and it is dedicated to encouraging owners to properly identify their pets, whether it's a dog, cat, rabbit, tortoise or even a horse, so that, when found, they can be reunited as quickly as possible.  Based in Buckinghamshire, Petlog is on hand 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to animal wardens, welfare centres, veterinary practices, rescue centres and local authorities, who can scan microchips found in missing pets and trace their owners through the Petlog database - a service dedicated to helping owners to find their lost pets.

Having a microchip implanted in your pet vastly increases a pet's chances of getting home, as if found it can be scanned and identified by its unique reference number and reunited rather than put in kennels or rehomed.  Pet owners have a legal requirement to ensure that their pet is under their control and this includes some form of proper identification.  Petlog provides a range of services for owners of microchipped pets; for further information, please visit www.petlog.org.uk or call 0870 6066 751.

To submit your own re-unification story, please e-mail us at petlogadmin@thekennelclub.org.uk

<<< Previous Story Next Story >>>