22 May 2012Holly the Collie has been reunited with her devoted owner after the Council picked up the lost pooch 15 miles away from where she went missing.
The 14 year old Collie-cross was out on a ramble in Downe with her owner, Debbie Slade, on Sunday 22 January when she took off after she was scared by aircraft noise from a nearby airport.
This prompted a distraught Debbie to spend the next nine days searching for the dog, putting up posters and scouring the area. Despite reports from people who'd seen Holly, Debbie thought she’d lost her for good.
Then Sevenoaks District Council investigated reports of a stray dog and picked up what turned out to be Holly in West Kingsdown – some 15 miles away from Downe.
Holly was micro-chipped, which meant the Council could contact her owner within hours so she could be collected that day.
A relieved Debbie Slade was reunited with Holly on Tuesday 31 January at the Council’s Sevenoaks offices.
Tonbridge resident, Debbie Slade says: "It's a great relief to have Holly back. I'd like to give my heartfelt thanks to the Council for reuniting us so quickly. Given that she was found many miles away from where I'd lost her, I doubt that I would have ever seen her again had she not been micro-chipped."
The Council’s Animal Welfare Officer, Ann-Marie Milton, adds: "Reuniting lost dogs with their owners is one of the most rewarding part of my job. Not only are the owners delighted but the dogs are as well!"
"This shows the value of micro-chipping your dog. Had Debbie not done so, we may never have been able to reunite her with Holly who, like many other dogs we collect, would have been put in kennels and looking for a new home."
Sevenoaks District Council strongly recommends that all dogs are micro-chipped. The Council can microchip dogs at home for a subsidised fee of £18 per dog.
For details or to book an appointment call 01732 227000 or e-mail information@sevenoaks.gov.uk.
