On July 21, 2023, the Houmen family lost their little Terrier in California.
Their dog 3 year old Mishka had escaped from Mehrad Houman’s work in San Diego. But no one saw where the dog went.
Elizabeth Houman and her four year old daughter had been out of town for the last month. So the family thought the dog may have escaped trying to look for them.
The Houmen’s were devastated. They looked everywhere for Mishka. But since Mishka didn’t return, they feared the dog may have been stolen or run over.
The family posted on a San Diego lost animal site. The post said that Mishka was “chipped and has a collar with our phone number on it.”
Police Are Phoned
On March 8, 2024, a concerned Harpers Wood resident in Michigan phoned the police. There was a stray dog slinking around the neighborhood. The dog was small and fluffy. It looked well fed and its coat was in good condition. The dog was Mishka.
The dog was collected and transported to the Grosse Pointe Animal Adoption Society in Michigan. They are a non-profit group who help lost pets, stray and injured animals. Amazingly, they have re-homed 8000 rescued pets since they started in 1991.
But some rescued animals have to be euthanized. There are dogs that are uncontrollable, and cats that have terrible injuries who can’t be treated. Some animals just can’t find a new home in time so they pass over into the next world.
Lucky To Have Microchip
Mishka was in luck though. The Grosse Pointe Animal Adoption Society were able to scan the microchip and read the contact information. Incredibly, they found that the dog was 2,343 miles away from her home.
Veterinarian Nancy Pillsbury carefully examined Mishka and gave her a rabies shot.
“She was clean, well-fed. Whoever had her took good care of her,” Pillsbury told The Associated Press. “How she got here — that’s a story only Mishka knows.”
Mehrad Houman was going to see relatives in Minneapolis when he got the news. Immediately he got in his car and instead drove to Michigan. The drive took him 10 hours, but the trip was worth it.
Mr Houman returned with Mishka to San Diego where the family was reunited.
Elizabeth Houman said to The Associated Press that it’s “been an incredible journey.”
“I never gave up,” Elizabeth Houman said. “I put up over a thousand flyers. I had a flyer on my back windshield. I wore her leash whenever I would look for her. … Now I just want to find out how she got to Michigan.”
The Grosse Pointe Animal Adoption Society relies on public donations to help fuel their mission to provide homes for rescued animals. Donations can be made here.
