Recovery Stories

We are proud to share the following heart-warming stories from AKC CAR. Here are just a few of the happy endings we experience every day.

Jade, Doberman Pinscher
My husband was deployed to Iraq and while I was visiting with some family in Oklahoma my Doberman Jade was stolen. I was not able to find her and eventually we had given up hope. After about 18 months of her being missing I received a phone call from a Humane Society shelter in Texas and they had found Jade and was able to identify her by her microchip. My husband and daughter was so happy to get her back and the wonderful thing is that Jade had remembered us also. It has been 8 months since we got her back and we are once again a big happy family! I was unsure of whether we should use a microchip but I am so glad we did or we would have never gotten our dog back home.

Abbey, Airedale Terrier Dog
Abbey, my Airedale Terrier escaped from the yard and she was hit by a car and taken to a local vet office. The vet's office scanned her and called me at my office within 10 minutes of her arrival. Thankfully I had kept my information current, I can't imagine if she had been alone and scared at the vet's all day. I have emailed family and friends encouraging them to microchip their animals!

Miss Duval, Female Lhasa Apso Dog
Miss Duval and her owner were on vacation in Vero Beach, Florida. While everyone was at dinner, the 2-year-old Lhasa Apso decided she was unfamiliar with her surroundings and broke through the screened-in-porch. Luckily, a local resident found Miss Duval and called AKC CAR's 800-number on her tag. We were unable to reach the owner in person, so we called the alternate contact. Miss Duval's owner was notified and picked up her dog that same evening. We're so glad Miss Duval is safe and sound thanks to her microchip and a kind person.

Macie, Female German Shorthaired Pointer
Macie escaped from the yard of the friends who were keeping her and she was hit by a car. When the locator called us, it took several calls but we were finally able to track down the owners who, it turns out, were traveling in China. They were able to call Macie's veterinarian and arrange for her care until they returned home. The injuries Macie sustained were fortunately minor and she is expected to make a full recovery.

Tigger, Male Domestic Medium-Hair Cat
This kitten disappeared one early evening. The next day at lunch time, we received a call from an animal shelter alerting us that a male kitten had been brought in. Their scanner revealed a microchip number and we confirmed that it was Tigger. He still had on his collar but the tag was missing. The lady that found and took him to the shelter wanted to adopt him; she would have been able to had it not been for Tigger's permanent microchip, which identified him and his rightful owner.

Simba, Male Bichon Frise Dog
Simba had been stolen and for months after his disappearance, the owners called all of the local vets and the local SPCA to no avail. Eventually they faced the probability that Simba was gone for good. The family moved out of state to Michigan. Almost four years later, the owners received a call from their dog's former veterinarian in Virginia. Simba had been picked up and scanned at a local animal shelter. His microchip pointed him to CAR who was able to find his owners with his former vet's assistance. This recovery story illustrates the importance of keeping your contact information with CAR current, no matter what!

Texas, Male Labrador Retriever Dog
The owner lost his dog, Texas, while he was out-of-town over the weekend. He searched all night in the woods of Plainville, TX before he returned home to Highlands Ranch, CO. The next day, some hunters who found the dog lying in a field near the road called us. Texas had been hit by a car and was badly injured so they took him to the vet. Texas needed immediate attention but survived. His owner drove back when hearing from us that he was found. Texas is scheduled for surgery on his leg but is expected to make a full recovery.

Buddy, Male Jack Russell Terrier Dog
Buddy and his owner were at the gas station. While Buddy's owner was pumping gas, Buddy had his eye on the grocery store across the street. When Buddy's owner went inside to pay, Buddy escaped in search of the pet food isle. Our 800# was called from a payphone at the grocery store and Buddy's shopping experience was over when his owner drove over to pick him up.

Nick, Male German Shepherd Dog
Nick was found in Lakeville, MN but his owner lived in Costa Mesa, CA. When we called the owner at work, we found that he no longer worked there. When we tried his home, we got his answering machine. When we called the alternate, we got another answering machine. When we called the 2nd alternate, they said that he was traveling with the dog, but I should call his parents. Turns out his parents were not at home either; they were on vacation in Las Vegas, NV. We did get the name of the hotel and we looked up the number on the Internet and called the Front desk. They rang the room and woke the parents up well before their wake up call. They were happy to hear from us and were able to reach their son who got his dog back only one hour later. He was thrilled we would go to the extra mile to find him. We were thrilled that the finder of Nick was able to hang onto him during our detective work.

Sydney, Female Golden Retriever Dog
Sydney just had a litter of puppies not too long ago. Her owner took her for a special duck-hunting trip for doing such a good job with the delivery. Once up in Susanville, CA he lost her in the woods. Exactly 24 hours after she ran off, a call came in that she had been found. We were unable to reach the owner in person, so we called the alternate contact and she was thrilled. A few minutes later Sydney's owner called and told us that they were on their way to pick her up.

Bucc, Male Labrador Retriever Dog
We received another call on a lost Labrador Retriever. This is our most recovered dog breed by far with over 10,000 successfully recovered Labs and counting. In this recovery, Bucc wandered approximately 40 miles until he was found in Valrico, FL. The owner was in St. Petersburg, FL, and she was amazed! So were we!

Lacy, Female Shetland Sheepdog
We received a call on a dog that was hit by a car. The dog was taken to a vet and they found the AKC tattoo number. We called the owner and she was so happy that her dog was found and alive! She said they had been looking for hours.

Noz, Male Domestic Short-Hair Cat
Noz was found in Chicago, IL. The owner's address in our database was in Minneapolis, MN. The owners actually live in North Carolina. We didn't understand how Noz got to Chicago. We found that Noz and his family moved from MN to NC and escaped on the drive down. The family had to make the difficult decision to continue with the trip even though Noz was lost somewhere in Chicago. The amazing part is that Noz was gone for many months before finally being reunited with his owners in NC.

Gilly, Female Labrador Mix Dog
Gilly wandered over to a neighbor's house early one morning. They called us so we called the owner and left a message on their machine. The locator thought they recognized Gilly and asked if it was their new neighbor's dog. We said yes so they walked Gilly back to her fenced in yard. We left the owner another message. When the owner woke up, she looked out into the yard and saw Gilly as if nothing ever happened. When she retrieved her messages, she was amazed that so much had happened before she even woke up!

Tashatu, Female Rottweiler Dog
Tashatu was stolen over a month before turning up at the dog pound. Before Tashatu was scheduled to be euthanized, they scanned a for a microchip, called us, and we called the owner. The owner was thrilled and said without the chip she would have never got her dog back!