After eight months of searching for their lost dog, a San Diego family was reunited with their best canine friend after arriving 2,000 miles away in suburban Michigan.
The dog’s mysterious journey across country began last July, when Elizabeth Houman posted on Facebook that her family’s beloved terrier mix, Mishka, had gone missing from an auto shop where her husband works.
“We will do anything to get our baby back,” Houman said in his post offering a cash reward for finding their puppy. “We think someone took her because she’s chipped.”
Mishka, a 3-year-old street dog adopted by the Houmans in Mexico, tended to wander around the neighborhood, but was usually brought back within minutes by a neighbor. After two days of Mishka’s disappearance, Houman knew it was more serious.
Houman never gave up hope, she said during a Zoom call Friday. She continued the search, handed out hundreds of flyers about missing dogs in the neighborhood, and her sister even flew out to help survey local encampments where they announced the cash reward.
There were no leads to Mishka’s whereabouts until last week, when Houman received a call from the Grosse Pointe Animal Adoption Society in Harper Woods, Michigan. Officers picked up Mishka — police said a resident described her as a “friendly and social” stray dog — and took the long-lost pet to their local pet adoption agency.
“It is not uncommon for our officers to be called for lost or stray animals, but we have never encountered a situation where the dog traveled 2,000 miles,” said Jason Hammerle, police public safety director. by Harper Woods.
Coincidentally, the Houmans were going to travel to the Midwest to visit family in Minneapolis when they received a call that their pet had been found. Houman said that when they landed around midnight last week, her husband immediately drove 10 hours to find their dog.
“When (my husband) came to pick her up, she started jumping in her cage,” Houman said. “She knew exactly who he was.”
The Grosse Pointe Animal Adoption Society attributed the reunion to a smooth pass between Harper Woods police and their facility and the fact that Mishka had been microchipped so they could track down the Houmans.
“This is a story Hollywood would love to tell,” the Grosse Pointe Animal Adoption Society posted on its Facebook page where it recapped the happy series of events in a video. “The synergy between a municipality and its local animal shelter shines brightly.
The Houmans were surprised to find that Mishka didn’t seem more uncomfortable after months of absence, although they said she suffered from some separation anxiety.
With Mishka back, Houman said the family was cleared by the vet to return home to San Diego. Back in California, Houman wants to share her puppy’s magic with others.
“I was planning on getting her certified to go to children’s hospitals because she is so loving and caring,” Houman said. As she spoke, Houman’s 5-year-old daughter patted Mishka’s ears and hugged her while the animal remained unfazed.
“She can handle a lot. She never growled at Lily, or cut – nothing,” Houman said. “He’s just the sweetest, most special dog ever.”
California Daily Newspapers
