Lost dog reunited with owners after two years

A stray dog found collapsed and bleeding on London’s streets has been reunited with her family twenty miles away, two years after she went missing.

A dog warden from Southwark council found Honey, a distinctive looking Saluki cross-breed, last month after a member of the public reported seeing her in Bermondsey. She was very weak with filthy, matted fur so the warden rushed her to The Blue Cross hospital in Victoria, which provides a 24-hour emergency service for injured pets.

Blue Cross vet Nigel Griffiths said: ”When Honey arrived in the middle of the night she was severely dehydrated and could barely lift her head. We put her on a drip and made her comfortable then carried out some tests. She was suffering from severe gastroenteritis. Fortunately, after intensive treatment and special care she soon made a full recovery.”

Honey had been fitted with a microchip containing her owner’s contact details so The Blue Cross was able to contact them the next day. Nurses were amazed to find out that Honey had gone missing from her home in April 2007 after squeezing through a hole in the garden fence and had not been seen since. Owners Mr and Mrs Beckley suspect she may have been stolen. 

Mrs Beckley said: “We were gobsmacked when we got the message from The Blue Cross, and we’re so grateful to them for bringing Honey back to us. We all loved Honey so much and were devastated when we couldn’t find her. We put up posters and called local vets and rescue centres then when we moved house we thought we might never see her again. Thank goodness we had her microchipped and kept the contact details up to date, just in case.”

Honey was reunited with her owners last week and appears to be recovering well from her ordeal. She is one of many stray dogs found in London every day, many of which are not microchipped and sadly will never find their way home.

Microchips are tiny electronic identification devices, each containing a unique serial number. A scanner run over a lost pet will reveal the special number which is stored in a central database alongside the owner’s contact details.

The Blue Cross recommends that all pets should be fitted with a microchip to ensure that they can be returned to their owners if they should become lost or stolen. Microchips can be fitted by most vets for a small one-off fee, and The Blue Cross offers a subsidised service to owners who can’t afford a private vet.  For more information please phone 0300 123 9933.