A dog named Silver is back home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, after five long years and some 2,000 miles. The handsome Labrador is named for Silver City, NM, where he was once discovered as a stray puppy. He soon became the beloved companion of a local man, but this was just the beginning of Silver’s story.
The pooch had a penchant for escape and found himself in the care of Albuquerque Animal Welfare several times due to his wanderings. In 2016, during a particularly difficult time for his family, Silver’s dad decided not to reclaim him.
Silver Moves to the Nation’s Capital
Silver was one of 12 lucky pups transported by bus to the Humane Rescue Alliance in Washington, D.C, in November of the same year. The 36-hour trip was intended to give the dogs a greater chance of adoption than the crowded southwestern shelters they came from.
Silver quickly found a new home in the D.C. area. This should have been the last time the sweet dog saw the inside of an animal shelter, but on September 9, 2021, he found himself in the rescue system once again. This time he arrived as a stray at Anne Arundel County Animal Care & Control in Maryland.
A Super Sleuth Takes Silver’s Case
The kennel supervisor at AACACC, described on Facebook as a “super sleuth when it comes to tracking down the owners of dogs with outdated information on their microchips,” went to work on Silver’s behalf. She attempted to locate his most recent (and local) adopter from the Humane Rescue Alliance in D.C., but the lead was a dead end. So, she reached even further back into the dog’s complicated history.
The devoted animal rescuer located Silver’s original owner back in Albuquerque using the dog’s microchip registration. After five years, not only was the man who raised Silver still in the system, but he also had the same contact information.
“Do You Want Your Dog Back?”
After so much time, Silver’s dad assumed the dog had been rehomed to someone else in the Albuquerque area, and his microchip was re-registered to his new owner. He was overjoyed to find out that not only was Silver safe, but he was also in need of a home. The kennel supervisor had just one question for him: “Do you want your dog back?” The answer was immediate and resounding, “Absolutely!”
Unfortunately, the owner was out of town and needed time to make arrangements. He looked into several different shipping and flying options but finally decided to make the 1,900-mile journey himself. With his daughter and granddaughter in tow, Silver’s dad arrived at the shelter at 9 p.m. on a Saturday to find his long-lost dog waiting for him.
At first, Silver seemed a bit wary of this new “stranger,” but after a good sniff and an earful of his dad’s familiar voice, it was as if no time had passed at all.
After a very long and complicated journey, Silver is finally back home where he belongs. Let’s hope he stays put this time!
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