Doggone! After 11/2 years, she is home -
[Cached Version]
Published on: 3/12/2002
Last Visited: 3/12/2002
It was Marc Hammond, owner of Animal Experts, a humane animal trapping service.
It seemed Shadow had been hanging out for several weeks at an East Side mobile home park, about two miles from the Cromwells' house.
People at the park had been feeding Shadow and tried to catch her but couldn't.They called Hammond, who sent one of his employees, Josh Marki, to set a trap Friday night.
...
Saturday morning, Hammond went to check on the trap, and there was Shadow, snoozing comfortably.
Hammond brought Shadow back to his house and took off her collar to see her tags.
There was a Pima County license tag.He called the Animal Control Center, where he also works as a supervisor, and got the Cromwells' name and address, but not their phone number.
There was another tag - from Home Again Companion Animal Retrieval System.That meant the dog had a microchip implanted in her back.Most shelters and veterinarian clinics can scan dogs with microchips to get the owner's name and phone number.
The scanner was not necessary, however.Shadow's tag had an 800 number for Home Again.
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Hammond called.
The person on the phone asked him to read the long number printed on the tag.
The numbers were worn.Hammond tried again and again to make them out.Finally, he came up with the right numbers, matching Shadow with the Cromwells.
The couple arrived minutes later, rushed from their car, took one look at Shadow and abandoned the grief they had been living with since a year ago last September.
A thinner, somewhat odorous but happy Shadow snuggled into Bob's arms.
"I have never seen anything like this in 20 years of rescue work," Hammond said.
When the trio arrived home, a bath for Shadow seemed in order.Afterward, the couple's two daughters came over with their children.
After they left, Shadow returned to the family room for a nap.