Reunion Stories 2021

Reunion Stories From C.A.R. Pet Owners (2021)

Aurora Has An Adventure

Reunion Story of the Year 2021

Aurora went missing on the 29th December 2020. Despite door knocking and handing out flyers she was no where to be found. She belonged to my 12 year old daughter and she was devastated. I even tried to replace her with another kitten but she didn't want to know about it.

4 months later, I received a phone call while at work telling me that a cat had been brought into the local vet. Through tears of joy, I left work to go get her. I had not told my daughter as I wanted to surprise her. Upon seeing Aurora, the tears flowed again. She looked dishevelled and had a bad cut under her arm. My husband videoed me coming through the door with her. My daughter could not even look up through her crying. Her baby was home.

Today, she is back to normal and does not leave her side. The bond those 2 have is incredible. I am still amazed we have her back and I would love to know the little adventure she went on. Without her microchip we would never have seen her again as the people who brought her to the vet wanted to keep her. I am so thankful and words will never express the amount of gratitude I have for the people who run this system. It has been a miracle but one I never want to go through again! 

- Robyn

Biggles Returns Home

Biggles had been missing for 2 weeks, and had been registered with RSPCA, AWL, DACO, CAR and 3 Facebook sites as lost/missing. Posters installed on stobie poles, leaflets distributed and neighbours visited.

Then a photo of him popped up on the Lost Pets of South Australia website where he had sought refuge with a lovely family in Urrbrae, a suburb too far away for him to have walked to from Adelaide city.

We collected him from the wonderful family who had cared for him so well with absolute joy that was bittersweet as they are still missing their tabby Toby and so we hope that our cloud with a silver lining becomes so for Abby and her family soon.

- Dorothy

Toulouse Goes Gold Mining

11 nights ago, the friendly, confident and cheeky Toulouse went missing. Given this was completely outside of his nature, the search to bring him home commenced. Posters were strung up around the Carlton neighbourhood, late night/early morning walks commenced and thousands of Facebook posts were shared. Despite being riddled with exhaustion and anxious thoughts, Toulouse's Mum did not stop searching for him. Not only that, but due to the friendly nature of this cat, four neighbours walked the streets with Mum in the early hours of the morning, and door knocked up and down the street searching for the lost boy. Despite how sad it was to lose Toulouse, the kindness and love Mum received from neighbours and cat lovers on Facebook was overwhelming. (One woman even offered to put up posters despite having never met Toulouse or Mum). After another sleepless, miserable night, a call was made to Mum one morning from a Council Ranger in Ballarat. Having missed the calls, a text came through saying "too loose" had been found. Unsure if this was the right cat, Mum called the ranger back and finally discovered that little Toulouse had been found alive and well 100KM AWAY FROM HOME. In fact, he jumped into the rangers car before he was even invited aboard, thus ending his two-week vacation.

So there you have it. Toulouse went gold mining. And although he might've gone looking for gold, little did he know he struck gold a long time ago - first, when his Mum microchipped him. And second, when he won the hearts of his Carlton community who never stopped searching. #tooloose

- Shari

Long Time Missing

Just a short story. My baby went missing nearly 3 years ago after we moved house. I searched and searched for him and could never find him. I gave up hope.I received a call almost 3 years later saying he had been found. Dirty and skinny but still my baby. So lucky to have him home!

- Tamara

Finding Willow

Willow is a gorgeous, medium-haired, tabby cat of no special breed, but she is very special to us. Adopted from the RSPCA as an 11-week-old kitten, Willow belongs to my 11-year-old daughter Sienna.

Willow vanished late New Year's Eve 2019. She was only 8-month's old. My husband and I were holidaying interstate with our two youngest children when our adult daughter Shannon, called. She said "Mum, I can't find Willow."I drove home and an epic 22-month search began...

I contacted Central Animal Records, checked my contact details were correct, and made sure Willow’s microchip was flagged as 'missing'. I door-knocked the neighbourhood and did midnight searches - night after night after night. I constructed a huge "Willow is lost!" sign and hung it on a fence facing our closest major road. My family put up big orange fluorescent signs and flyers on trees and light poles. I turned my car into a mobile “LOST CAT” sign to get the community's attention. I created a FIND WILLOW (#thebasinbillboardcat) Facebook page, which I updated frequently. The community got on board. Kind people helped me search and distribute flyers. Someone rang Radio 3AW who deemed my 'extraordinary' effort to find Willow newsworthy. The story of Willow aired on Melbourne radio and made it into the newspaper. A real estate firm donated a billboard after my handmade one was stolen. Wonderful people reported possible sightings of Willow and let me display massive signs on their front fences. I bought a cat trap and set it up near every reported potential sighting. I caught several cats in need, but not Willow. One cat (Jasper), had been lost for 8 years - he was microchipped and his details were up to date, but sadly his owners chose not to take him back. Happily, Animal Aid re-homed him. I haunted Animal Aid Coldstream (our local pound) and scrolled through a multitude of LOST cat pages and websites daily.

I learned all about ambiguous grief during Willow's absence. Our family missed Willow so much but we couldn't grieve our loss. There is no closure when a beloved furry family member disappears. Many neighbours and friends believed Willow was stolen or dead, but I knew cats were resilient and never gave up hope. Neither did Sienna. Willow went missing during a heat wave - half the country was on fire across summer 2019-2020. Willow survived two hot summers and two bitter winters, while her people (us) were tucked up safely at home.

Fast forward to November 2021…

In the end, none of my signs or publicity helped bring Willow home. It was her microchip and the caring nature of two good Samaritans that brought Willow back to us. Enna and Blake from Clayton Victoria were out walking one evening, late in October 2021, when Willow approached them. I'm told she walked up to them but kept returning to the locked factories nearby. They saw her two more times that week and noted food bowls outside the factory were full of water and leaves, yet there’d been no recent rain. They were concerned that Willow was not being properly cared for or was perhaps a lost cat; and after a big storm blew in, they enlisted Enna's Mum's help with containing her. Once they had captured Willow, they called their local council who collected Willow and delivered her to the RSPCA where she was scanned for a microchip.

The RSPCA called Animal Aid to check Willow’s registration status (still current) and spoke to Cattery Manager, Sue who begged them to give her 10 minutes... She wanted to share the moment with me. I have Animal Aid’s number saved in my phone, so when the call I had been praying for came through, my first words were “Have your got news for me?” and Sue said, “I do.” Sue told me Willow had been picked up 25km from our home, appeared to be in good health and she was at the RSPCA waiting to be picked up. Then we both cried our eyes out. It was the best news ever!!!

Willow has settled in at home almost like 22 months and two days on the streets (and being a media sensation for a few days) was nothing. She's still the same funny, playful crazy kitten we adore.

Thanks to Willow’s microchip our family is complete once again, Sienna is the happiest 11-year-old in Victoria, and after 671 days lost, Willow is finally home!!!

- Julianne

Worst Day Ever

It is Hunter's (cat) 7th birthday. Last month his cat-bro unexpectedly had to be put down the day before he turned 8yr. We are still grieving. Today Hunter was on harness and leash as trained when a bin fell over with a loud bang, Hunter bolted in fear, the snaps on his harness broke and he just ran. He's never been outside here not on leash! Pet-mum door knocked the entire block with posters. Worried he might get stolen by a well meaner or worse. Our fall back was that CAR could list him as missing so if his chip got scanned someone would know he was missed and call home. A couple of years ago someone tried to 'take' his cat-bro because he was so friendly. It happens. It could have happened again. CAR gives hope that lost loved ones can be returned. Luckily Hunter found his own way home and pet-mum didn't have a total nervous breakdown. Bigger, better harness is on the birthday list.

- Isabella

Worst Week Made Worse.

This is a story of how our fur baby Grumpy gave his family a heart attack for 3 days.

My wife's mother had just been diagnosed with a progressive autoimmune disease. So to help them, my wife and our daughters went up to help them pack. Grumpy had always been super attached to my wife. I got him for her years ago when we first started dating. He was her first cat and they were smitten. Grumpy always cuddles with her. Follows her to the toilet. Basically he is attached at the hip. When our first daughter was born he was obsessed. He would sleep at her feet and just always wanted to be around the baby. As our daughter grew they started playing it was super sweet. Anyways, so my wife and kids are at my in-laws and Grumpy starts fretting big time, he wasn't eating and was constantly crying. One day I get home from work and he must have pushed out the door without me seeing.

After an hour I realised I hadn't seen him. So I looked around the house everywhere. I start to stress because he has never been outside unsupervised. I go out and look frantically and nothing. The next day we made posts online, called vets, called the local council. My wife was devastated. It was day 3, I came home and walked into my lounge and looked at the window and who do I see? Grumpy sitting next to the fence eating a blade of grass... I was so relieved and immediately video-called my wife who began to cry with joy. Safe to say, I'll be keeping a closer eye on this escape artist from now on.

- Adam

2 Months & 5 Days

Indie went missing after we moved into a new property. We had changed her microchip address & council registration to reflect her new residence. It’s so important to have your pet microchipped. I came across a deceased cat on my journey to find Indie, & due to the cat not being microchipped it was a struggle to notify their family. In our case, the power of social media & posters in the community reunited us with Indie after two months & 5 days missing. A lady had spotted her 2km away & recognised her from my persistent social media posting. The key is to never give up, spread the word, & have your animal registered for the best chance of a happy reunion. 

- Amanda

Adventure Hiro Perth

Hiro was missing for 7 days and we had been door knocking, flyering, leaving out biscuits at neighbours houses, looking at cctv. Turns out... he was found by a family who lived 3.8kms away! They had just arrived home the night before from a week's holiday and Hiro was meowing at their back door.

They posted him up on the local community facebook page that I had posted on a week earlier and someone else commented to say that he was reported missing. My friend had also joined multiple pages to help keep an eye on found reports and she alerted us and asked him to hold on until we got there. He has been home and purring for an hour now! It was a team effort ❤️

- Daniel

For Sale: Cat Trap - Used once!

I am writing this #ReunionStory at 1.30am as the adrenaline is still coursing through my body and I'll not be able to sleep anytime soon. I found Luka an hour ago! I haven't felt this elated since Steven Bradbury won his gold medal in 2002 or when they stopped making Hey Hey it's Saturday episodes.

Long story short, I managed to trap Luka this evening in a extra large sized animal trap I bought online and received yesterday. Its one of those cage style traps that is triggered when Luka gets too far into the tunnel part and the door closes behind him. First night. It worked first time!Not sure I can put it all down to the trap or Luka's irrational desire for raw chicken and dry kibble. Anyway, the main thing is it worked and after being on the run for three weeks in the rural area I live in he is home. Ended up he was about 500m away living in and around a neighbour's farm shed amongst old cars and machinery.

Yep, he's going to be an indoor house cat now with a bell and maybe if I can arrange it a permanent drone hovering above him at all hours.

Not much else to add really other than never to give up hope and does anyone want to buy a used cat trap?

- Justin

4 Years

I adopted Bella as a kitten, at a challenging time in my life. She gave me such a purpose and someone to love. One day, about 3 years in to our life together, she just didn't come home. I printed off posters and walked the streets looking for her.

We then moved house multiple times. In June this year, I received a call from a Vet telling me they had my cat. I didn’t believe them. I advised that Bella went missing 4 years ago, the Vet assured me it was Bella due to her microchip. I raced to the vet and i couldn't believe my eyes, it was my Bella. I asked where she had been the last 4 years and she just ignored me. The Vet nurses told me that Bella had been 800m from the original home where I last saw her.

I took her home and we had a few days of getting to know each other again. Bella coming back into my life has been at the perfect time. She keeps me company and gives me some purpose during these ongoing lockdowns.

- Alannah

Our Missing Boy

After walking for what seemed like hours, yelling his name, dropping pamphlets off in letter boxes, making posts on Facebook we finally have our boy Knuckles home. He was missing for 4 days and had his whole family so stressed as in the 8 years of his life he'd never strayed far away.

When we found him, my husband and I embraced him between us and cried happy tears. All while he was purring and snuggling into us. We are so happy to have our boy back home again.

- Elise

Outsmarted By Our Dog

Our young (at the time 9-months) male long-haired German Shepherd stays in our garage during the working day, with a break at lunchtime when I return home to walk him. One day our neighbour noticed him outside in the access alleyway behind our town house, with the garage roller door open. She called me and I explained how to put him inside and she closed the roller door. I had to assume I had not properly closed the roller door when I left in the morning.

Next day I got a call from a local veterinary clinic. They had Samson there! Not only had he got out of the garage, but waited until the alleyway security gate opened for a car entering and went walkabout. Happily, he was found by a man wandering the streets a few blocks away, and the man sensibly took him to a nearby vet clinic where they scanned him, then called me. Interestingly, none of the vet staff realised that Samson was wearing a collar with more identification plus council registration on it, because it was hidden beneath his long hair.

Now some detective work was required, and we then made the discovery. Samson was able to jump up and activate the wall-mounted remote control for the roller door. Repositioning of the control and problem solved.

- John

A Little Story of Zoe

Back in 2012/2013? I saw a sign on a Supermarket window offering a cat for adoption. The lady looking to rehome her was moving and couldn't take pets to her new rental home.

I already had three cats so taking Zoe on was going to be troublesome with cat personalities and care costs. I had worked in the past fostering cats and placing them in new homes.I thought I'd take on Zoe and see who may like to have her live with them.

I had her in my home for around four weeks. She was getting used to routines and accepting my big personality cats. She was a gentle, but timid cat. She'd get angry if she was scared. She'd understandably try to defend herself.

I spent a lot of time with her making her less stressed and more of a calm and friendly cat. I believe one of my young children opened the door on a top floor decking area of our home. Zoe jumped off the deck and went missing.

We door knocked, letterbox dropped, put up street signs, placed Facebook messages and searched bushland nearby. I went back to the area where I had collected her from. I spoke to the home owner. He had large dogs and told me a cat would never want to jump his back fence!

I did door knocking and letterbox dropping. I thought there was a small chance that she may have found her way back to the area of her home.

We never heard back from anyone about her. It broke my heart. I never fostered a cat after losing Zoe. In 2015 I moved from my family home. My husband remained in the house and kept the Post Office Box listed on the registration. My ex husband and I both kept our mobile phone numbers.

Last summer I had destroyed Zoe's Vet records never thinking she'd be found.

On July 13th, last Tuesday I received a call from a vet in the area I used to live.They told me they'd had a found cat bought in. The Vet checked her microchip and called me.

I called the Vet because I couldn't believe it could possibly be true. She said she had contacted the CAR register and been given my phone number. The Vet said she's healthy, reasonable weight and had no health issues she could see.

I grabbed the cat carrier and my son to go and collect her.

Zoe's now a 13 year old cat and into her retirement years. She's still timid and likes her quiet, private time. She's getting used to being in a home with three existing cats.

We've renamed her Missy as we have another cat named Zoe. My children were so distraught we'd lost our first Zoe that our next foundling cat had to be named Zoe.

I'm still in shock. She's a beautiful cat and we love having her home again with us.

- Rachael

Dora the Explorer

I was working as a nurse in a vet clinic when a friend of mine gave me a call.

She explained that a cat had been visiting her house for the past few months and after she began feeding it, the cat became so confident that it started coming into the house which was upsetting her mum and their dogs.

I asked her to bring the cat in to the clinic so I could check the microchip and let the owners know what was happening.

What happened next was unbelievable!

A friendly cat, I scanned her microchip and found out her name was Dora. Dora's family lived only a few streets away from my friend so I assumed she must have been visiting from her home. Well.... what a surprise I had when I phoned her Mum.

Dora had been missing for 6 years!!
6 years!!

Turns out she was living up to her namesake and was quite the explorer! You see, Dora's mum explained that when Dora was only 6 months old, her daughter accidentally left the front door open and Dora went for a wander.

She had never been outside and had become spooked by the sounds of construction work in the area.

They spent many nights looking for her to no avail. Turns out, for the past 6 years Dora had made friends with many people in the neighbourhood, including my friend and she would repeatedly visit the homes of those who would feed her and give shelter her shelter.

It just took one person to question and take Dora in to a vet to have her microchip scanned for this beautiful reunion to occur.

Thank God they kept the same mobile number after 6 years and her microchip details were still correct!

- Rebecca

2 Years!

I moved to Ballarat in regional Victoria in December of 2018 for a new job. I took my two boys with me (Casper and Tigger). I did the whole 6 weeks inside thing so they would know where home was. I started letting them out during the day so they could explore, and they would both always come home at night.

One morning at 5.30 it was raining heavily and I had to start early. Tigger bolted into the dark wet morning. I knew he would be lost.

After putting up flyers and posting on Facebook for 6 months. All hope was lost! Come to today 2.5 years later, a call from our local animal shelter! And my Tigger is returned.

- Sanne

Another Hitchhiking Cassie

We would like to thank CAR for reuniting us with our 12 y.o. Jack Russell, Cassie. We live in Arcadia just south of Shepparton, having moved from Melbourne. We had gone to Tasmania on the 25th January for a wedding, leaving Cassie at home with a trusted neighbour feeding her and checking on her. The yard is secure.

As we were leaving our accommodation on 28th January to return home I had a call from an operator at CAR. Cassie had somehow got out and been picked up about 10kms away darting in and out of traffic on the Goulburn Valley Highway.

We believe that she had walked out the gate while another neighbour was collecting some eggs. He did not realise that she was even there. She apparently barked most of the night to get back in but there was no one there to open the gate. It was next morning she was found on the highway. We can only assume she was trying to return to our old home in Melbourne.

The man who picked her up was an equine vet from Shepparton and had seen her CAR tag and called you. I immediately rang the gentleman who by chance was heading for Melbourne Airport and would be there about the same time as we were returning.

After an anxious flight we were reunited outside the airport terminal. It is amazing that she actually managed to hitch hike to Melbourne Airport to meet us! It was certainly worth having the microchip inserted, keeping the CAR tag on her collar and updating our details when we moved.

- CAR Pet Owner

A Big Surprise

Pocho went missing in February 2020. At that time I was living in Reservoir with my partner and my baby boy but we were going to move in our new house in Lalor in 3 weeks time.

He was still recovering from a facial surgery after a fight with another cat that was infected and needed to be drained out from the vet. He was one of our 3 fur babies, one of them is his brother. I looked for him for more than a month, after we moved I was going there every night to call him but never found him.

2 days ago I received a call from a vet in Reservoir asking if I was missing a cat. I couldn't believe it, I run to them to see him and take him back with us. He is back in his family, with his fur and human siblings!

So unexpected and so happy to have him back!  

- Barbara

Our Little Survivor

This morning I received a call from our local vet to tell me they had my Kingston ❤️

A lovely lady had just brought him in to them after feeding him for the last 7 weeks. ❤️

Now, Kingston went missing just over a year ago! After being frightened by a friend's dog. I always hoped he was still alive but over the year had given up hope of seeing him again. I can’t imagine the adventures he’s been on and folk he’s met! ❤️

The message?
- If you have pets, make sure they're microchipped
- If you find a pet, please take them to the vet asap to be scanned for a chip.

So proud of my tough little guy. And so happy to have him back with us ❤️🙏❤️

- Amanda

Repeat Offender

Jake is an opportunistic Houdini. He has escaped more times than I care to count in the 12 years we've owned him. It's probably why he was in the pound in the first place when we adopted him at the age of 2.

On Friday afternoon I noticed he wasn't in the yard, then I noticed the gate was slightly skew with a gap just big enough for him to wriggle through.

I posted on all the facebook lost and found pet pages then sat up all night, going to the door whenever I heard a sound... but no Jake.

I have learned by now not to be too worried as people are kind hearted and will take a stray to the local vet or call the ranger etc.

Sure enough, 9.30 am I get a call from the local pound to say they had him. I picked him up, bought him two new toys and brought him back home :)

- Jodie

Reunited After 24 Days Missing

I got a call from a vet 35 km from home stating someone had brought Lilly in with an injured back leg. The vet scanned her microchip and she had been flagged as missing. The vet contacted me to bring the happy news that Lilly was found. I realise how important it is to make sure your pet is microchipped and that your details are correct.

- Edelweiss

Our Cassie

My Husband works away, my sons and I were travelling out to see him and spotted a MiniatureDachshund running down the highway in the middle of nowhere about 8pm at night (we still had 2 hours to travel to our destination). She had no collar and was very happy to see us.We took her with us planning on trying to find her owner and reunite them.

We had a stumpy tail blue cattle dog and were happy with that. Turns out she was microchipped the previous owner didn’t want her back. They had bred her and were trying to find her a new owner. Nobody knows how she got where we found her, the previous owner was happy to take her back and continue looking to rehouse her.

Over the weekend we had fallen completely in love with her. We can’t give her away because I can’t risk someone else not loving her and caring for her as much as we do.We have never had a small dog before, she can play with the cattle dog and hold her own, under our watchful eye. We did all the paperwork and transferred her into our name. Cassie found herself anew home, she is a clever little Dachshund.

- CAR Pet Owner

It's Matty

Matty went for a walk and never returned home. I had searched and searched and we all grieved thinking the worst had happened. We were giving up hope of ever finding him - especially after we moved 2 months ago from where he went missing.

He had been missing for two years to the day when someone found him wandering and took him to the Lilydale Vet Clinic. They scanned for a microchip and since my mobile number has not changed for more than 10 years, they were able to ring me.At first I was confused when they said that they had my cat. I said 'Oh No.....is Tig OK ?' The lady said'Ummm.... it's not Tig it's Matty.' I said 'No way possible, he is missing or dead as he left home 2 years ago! It can't be possible!'

I gave her a description of him and she said 'Yes it IS him!'I started crying and we got in the car with our cat carrier and headed straight to the clinic, still not believing it was him. Once I picked him up and checked him over myselfI knew that it was definitely Matty. I showed him the cat carrier and he went straight in (it had his blanket still in it).The vet was shocked saying 'I haven’t seen that before.'

Matty snuggled in and started purring, putting his paw out for me to hold. My husband and I are delighted he has been reunited at home with his brother. Such a shock for us, all together again right before Christmas!Welcome home Matty Cat !!Since his return he has not left my side and has started playing ball, running up and down the hallway. He has been licked all over by the dog and his brother is soothing him too. Please understand how emotional the last 2 years have been and just how important it is to have your animal's microchipped and the information kept up to date!

- CAR Pet Owner

Sophie

My son & his partner were in the process of moving house. There was an interim period when they weren't able to have their staffy living with them, so Sophie came to live with my husband & me for 2 months. We have a good secure yard, escape-proof for any dog . . . . except Sophie.

We were distraught to return home one day to find her missing. We produced flyers, advertised in the paper & on radio. One day I received a phone call from a friend inviting me over on some odd pretence. I was elated to be greeted at the door by dear Sophie.

My friend had found her and taken her to the vet in the hope she was micro-chipped. Micro-chip located and the owner contacted. My friend was then handed the phone so she could explain where she lived. She recognised my son's voice and the happy reunion was organised. So grateful for this service. Thank You!

- CAR Pet Owner

This Puccini Story Is Not A Tragedy

We lost Puccini about 3 years ago. She just disappeared. We thought she was dead but had the hope someone was looking after her. We moved out of the area 6 months ago.

RSPCA called me on last Sunday afternoon to say that they had found her and it all went well from there. She was found in our old street. Probably returning to what she knew as home, but we weren't there. We picked Puccini up from the RSPCA and it was like she never left. She recognised me instantly and is the loving cat we remember.

I can't believe she has been gone for 3 years. All I can say is thanks to being microchipped we were reunited.

- CAR Pet Owner

Better late than never!

When I moved house, in June, one of my 'twin' cats, Mitsy, went missing about one week later, on a very wet and stormy night. After weeks of unsuccessful searching, I resigned myself to the fact that she might not come 'home' and instead of fearing the worst, I hoped that she'd found a new home.

Then, that fabulous phone call came, she HAD been found, amazingly, after 2 years and 2 months, of being missing!!! She was located about 2 kilometres from where I was (then) living and taken into the local pound.

I really believe that someone else had 'adopted' her during her 'missing' years, but now she was finally home with me and her twin sister, again. Thanks to her microchip, we were happily reunited that day after I received the call. A wonderful invention and service, that I am forever indebted to!

- CAR Pet Owner

Goza Goes Wandering

No one likes their mobile ringing in the middle of the night. 99% of the time, it's bad news. My phone went off at 12.36AM and I was sound asleep. A very calm, collected voice on the other end of the phone introduced herself, obviously taking into account that I wasn't completely with it, and told me that a lady by the name of Judy, had my dog, Goza. Very confused, as she had been sleeping soundly in her kennel just a few hours ago, I took down the details and thanked her. I went searching for my wayward beast, and sure enough, there was no sign of her. I called Judy, who told me she was at a local truck depot and my princess had been trying to get into the trucks. Loves a road trip my girl. I arrived on the scene to find Judy standing in the carpark holding Goza by the collar.
She let go and Goza very sheepishly climbed into the backseat and sat, like a good girl.

I thanked Judy and I am very grateful to both her and CAR. My princess is an American Bulldog, and most people run a mile when they see dogs like that. My girl is all love and would never hurt a fly, the breed just has a bad rep. Judy, thankfully, didn't judge her by her big toothy smile, but by her furiously wagging tail.
So, I'd like to send a big thank you to CAR and to the lovely lady who called me in the middle of the night giving me all the relevant info I needed so calmly and concisely.
And a big thank you to Judy, for not being afraid of my Princess, Goza. They are now great friends!

- CAR Pet Owner

Maggie Our Adventurer

We have a 12 year old fox terrier x who wandered away from us one day & despite hours & hours of searching for her we couldn't find her. We were in a rural area that was very isolated & only had a few sporadic farm houses that were many kilometres apart.

A few days after the ad went in we started getting calls that she had been spotted about 40 km's from where she left us! The search was on in real earnest.

People were looking out for her everywhere & we began to feel that just maybe we would get her back. Each time we were disappointed though & we kept missing her.

Just after 9am on that Monday morning, I got a phone call from my local council telling me they thought they had found her. Someone had rung & said a dog matching her description had turned up at their place on the Saturday morning looking rather tired & hungry.

I jumped into my car & drove to an area that was about 70 km's from where she started!!! I got out of my car & walked over to the shearing shed & began calling her name. She wasn't there & my heart sank.

I thought she had wandered off & I'd missed her again but I walked along other sheds still calling her name. I went around a car & looked at a doorway & there was this little forlorn dog looking at me. It was her.
She quietly walked over to me almost like she wasn't sure if she could believe her eyes that it was me, I bent down & patted her. That's when we both knew for sure & the joy began. I had tears & her tail began wagging furiously & she was whimpering & then barking.

We were both so happy. I had great delight then in ringing my family & telling her that I had her. I had her checked at the vet & he couldn't believe that she was in such good condition considering her journey & her health (Maggie has cancer). It's certainly a great story to tell.

Needless to say it taught me the importance of name tags for dogs with phone numbers on them.

- CAR Pet Owner

Greyhound Back On Track

I would like to thank CAR for facilitating in the recovery of our runaway greyhound, Billy, earlier today. He managed to run off from our home and before we knew it he was nowhere to be seen. With my husband and I driving around, and my son on his bike, searching the parklands along the Eastern Freeway, we were unable to find him. Over 30 mins. has passed by and we were distraught as Billy could’ve been anywhere and he has no road sense, in fact, not much sense full stop.

I was thinking that our only hope was that someone would find Billy and ring the number on his collar. You cannot imagine my relief when my mobile rang while I was searching the streets and it was CAR saying that Billy had been found. Our family are so grateful to the young lady and man who stopped their cars on the Doncaster Rd. on-ramp of the Eastern Freeway, where Billy was roaming (approx. 1 km from home), and rang CAR and kept him safe until we got there to collect him.

Thanks so much to both of them for their kindness and caring. We are so grateful and appreciative of everyone’s efforts in getting Billy back to us.

- CAR Pet Owner