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Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Southeastern Texas and parts of Louisiana back in August 2017 as a category 4 major hurricane and wreaked havoc upon the Lone Star State. It was, at the time, the costliest natural disaster in Texas state history with an economic impact of $125 billion.
When Hurricane Harvey hit Texas, a 2-year-old mutt dog named Blue was living with her family in Corpus Christi, Texas when the storm ripped apart the family’s fence. Blue took off through the fence during the storm and was gone. Any dog owner knows how dogs can panic during storms and act irrationally.
Dog Missing For 8 Years Found 300 Miles Away In Waco, Texas
Corpus Christi is on the Gulf Coast of Texas in the state’s southeast. That is where Blue went missing. Flash forward to present day and Blue was found 300 miles to the North in Waco, Texas inside a public restroom.
What was Blue doing in the public bathroom? Who knows. But Blue was micro-chipped and that was a crucial component in getting the lost pup back home to her family.
Upon finding the lost dog in the bathroom, a good Samaritan took Blue to the nearby Pet Circle Regional Animal Center shelter in Waco. They scanned the lost dog for a microchip and it pinged with the owner’s information.
It is important to note that the owner kept their contact information updated throughout the years so when the Pet Circle Regional Animal Center reached out to her owner, they had the right person.
Overwhelmed with emotion
Imagine for just one second your dog, which to most feels like a member of the family, has been missing since a devastating storm 8 years ago and you have been wondering ‘what if’ for nearly a decade.
The intrusive thoughts would eat me up. I’ve just driven by myself from Florida to Maine and back all so my dog could come with the family. We love our pets like family, it’s that simple. I cannot imagine the mental anguish of thinking you lost your pup forever in a hurricane.
But Blue wasn’t lost forever!
The shelter wrote on Instagram “After nearly eight years, the family was thrilled to learn that Blue was safe. The finder generously offered to meet the owner halfway to ensure that Blue could finally return home.”
Microchip your pets
On Instagram, the Pet Circle Regional Animal Center added that “this heartwarming reunion is a powerful reminder that microchips work. Because Blue was chipped (and her owner’s contact information was up to date), she was able to find her way home after nearly a decade apart.”
There are no shortage of reasons to get your pet microchipped. My pup is. We rescued her after she and her sister were abandoned in Georgia by someone who deemed them unfit as livestock guardians.
When I adopted her from a rescue in Florida, she came microchipped. Should my dog ever get lost, my information remains updated on those databases so veterinarians can contact me.
Recently in the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York, where Summer storms come in fast and violent, I thought my dog would be lost. The weather was perfect one minute and the next the skies were black and lightning was crashing around the lake.
My dog took off running into the woods. I thought she was lost and gone. So I went to my car and started laying on the horn. That noise jolted her back to run toward me for help instead of off into the woods away from lightning.
Get your pets microchipped! You never want to be in a position where you regret not doing it.