If ever there was a case for having your dog microchipped, this is it. 72 year old dog owner Liz Hiorns recently lost her dog, a Jack Russell named Penny. The dog didn’t have a microchip – which could have contained important data such as the dog’s name, address and the phone number of its owner. Nor did the dog have a collar and name tag – so the chances of the dog being returned were slim.
Luckily the dog was found by a dog warden and taken to a rescue centre in Tibberton, Danemere Animal Rescue Centre. However, because the dog had no nametag, or a microchip, staff had no way of tracing the owner. Following their own procedures, they sold the dog to a family living 30 miles from Liz Hiorns.
Mrs Hiorns only discovered that her dog had been found, and subsequently sold, after she contacted a local vet on the advice of her friend. The vet told her that a dog that sounded as though may have been Penny was found in Stratford-upon-Avon in April, and was taken to the dog rescue centre. Upon contacting the rescue centre, Mrs Hiorns was told that her dog had been sold and they couldn’t give her the contact details of the new owners.
Mrs Hiorns commented:
I’m not in the first flush of youth and I was widowed last year and Penny’s a real little character and had been a great favourite of my husband’s.
To think she now has a new owner and probably a new name is devastating.
All I want to do is write a letter to the couple who now have her telling them there has been a huge mistake.
I’m sure that if the family she’s been re-homed with knew what had happened they’d want to do the right thing. I miss her desperately.
The chairman of Danemere Animal Rescue, Michael Quinlan, added:
Once a dog has been rehomed we would not contact the new owners. There is nothing we can do.
Had Mrs Hiorns’ dog been microchipped, the rescue centre would have known instantly who she belonged to and would have contacted Mrs Hiorns to claim her dog.
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[…] week we wrote about 72 year old Liz Hiorns and her Jack Russell named Penny. Liz’ dog Penny ran away from home and was taken in by a rescue centre, before being sold to a […]
People at Animal Rescue Centres work incredibly hard to look after animals that selfish people can not care for properly.
Why did this woman wait 2 weeks to chase for her ‘beloved’ dog?
And why did she not visit the vet to get her pet treated for the eye infection, fleas and ticks.
It seems to me that she wanted her name in national papers.
So well done Mrs Hiorns – Danemere currently have a neglected German Shepherd who has had £1000 worth of treatment and needs a £3000 operation due to the neglect of his owners – so if donations to this charity reduce due to your negative publicity how is this animal going to get his treatment?
I HAVE chased my dog , on the same day it disappeared, I registered him in a lost dogs site, gave my contacts, later on attached some posters at church, in the city, college …stuff said that they tried to contact me but i ignored it, I didn’t got a call, message , anything…OLNY after a WEEK , one woman wrote me an email to inform that a dog had been found… why she didn’t email me BEFORE????????? We didn’t get a microchip ,because I was told that its like 100 pounds or something….didn’t have that much cash at the moment plus thought that its more important that a puppy will have all appropriate vaccinations during the time…now feel such a dushbag, its all my fault, he is gonna be with good people but I’m still in depression and apathy, can’t believe hes gone and miss him as hell, was a dog lover from childhood and can’t imagine myself without a dog in the future.