Dog Travels 1400 Miles Back to Its Old Cage at Animal Shelter
ALTOONA, AL (TheSkunk.org) — A female cocker spaniel traveresed a thousand miles of unfamiliar terrain for six weeks to make her way back to her old cage at the Etowah County Animal Shelter.
ALTOONA, AL (TheSkunk.org) — A female cocker spaniel traveresed a thousand miles of unfamiliar terrain for six weeks to make her way back to her old cage at the Etowah County Animal Shelter.
Chloe, 4, had been living under the oppressive rule of the Tyler family in Tucson, Arizona for nearly two years, when she decided the time was right to make her break. It was a cold evening late in November when she carefully snuck past the obnoxious kids and their abusive parents, darted out the doggie door, jumped the fence and started running.
“At first, I wasn’t sure where I was, or which direction I should go,” explained Chloe, “when suddenly this strange doggie instinct thing kicks in; apparently I have an innate ability to navigate great distances using only my highly developed sense of smell. Who knew?”
She ran and ran and ran, steadfast in her quest to be reunited with the “nice men and women who took care of me at the shelter.”
Scurrying under fences, over ditches, and through barren fields, evading capture by local authorities in seventeen states and stopping only to relieve herself or locate a scrap for dinner, she finally reached her destination.
Animal Control Officers could not believe their eyes when a weather-worn, emaciated Chloe showed up on their doorstep. “We heard this familiar scratching,” said Officer Dan Osbourne. “We opened the door, and this poor beat-up dog runs it, wagging its tale – nearly knocked me over.”
Shelter staff members immediately recognized her from three years earlier. They gave her a bath and scratched her favorite spot, just behind her ears.
Veterinarian Dr. Thelma Anderson gave Chloe a full checkup . “She was a little malnourished,” noted Anderson, “but nothing a few days of proper nutrition couldn’t cure.”
Chloe was thrilled to be interred back inside the small steel cage that had once been her home.
“It was all coming back to me,” said Chloe, fondly recalling her reaction to being locked up in the familiar wire-mesh housing. “I remembered everything like it was yesterday: The sights, the sounds, and those comfort-smells – a mixture of poop, Purina and ammonia — it was so wonderful to be home where I belonged.”
Dr. Anderson found the whole situation quite curious. “I’ve heard stories of dogs who’ve traveled great distances to find their masters,” said Anderson, “but never one who returned to the pound. This is very unusual.”
The next day, Dr. Anderson scanned Chloe’s implanted ID chip and discovered she actually belonged to the family in Tucson.
“No, no! Don’t send me back!” barked Chloe. “I want to stay here where I get fed and taken care of!”
But her barks fell upon deaf ears. When the Tyler’s came to retrieve their dog, they were really mad at her.
“Miserable mutt,” snapped the elder Tyler. “When we get home, I’ll teach you to run away.” It was a threat he would never live to carry out.
Shortly after arriving at the Tyler residence in Tucson, Chloe savagely killed the entire family.
“Assholes!” she thought, as she buried the bodies in the backyard and made the long journey back to the wonderful animal shelter with the nice people who took care of her.
