A small dog found hiding under a car in Compton, California had a very frightening experience on New Year’s Eve. What began as an exciting day for the entire family, after recently arriving from Turkey, quickly turned into a near nightmare had it not been for some Good Samaritans and a well-known animal rescuer.
On Tuesday afternoon, the family parked their car at a local 7-Eleven in Santa Monica and left the car running just to pick up a few quick supplies. Their dog had been left in the car. Moments later, chaos erupted; a man had been stealing a case of beer and as he ran out the door, jumped into the family’s running car and sped away. And in the vehicle had been the family’s credit cards, their passports and their dog!
Later that day, the police were able to locate the family’s car, but the dog was missing. The thief had driven to Huntington and somewhere along the road had dumped the dog.
What could have been a tragic ending for a tiny dog turned out to be nothing less than a New Year’s Day miracle. A Good Samaritan had spotted the dog trembling and hiding under a car. She stopped traffic to try and get the dog out of the street, and the panicky pooch ran into the backyard where the dog was ushered into a crate and placed in their car awaiting assistance.
She called the popular area independent rescuer Cathi Perez for help and waited for Cathi’s arrival.
The women were able to capture the pup; Cathi dubbed the little one Wilma.
The Lovejoy Foundation agreed to accept Wilma into their organization; the dog arrived at the emergency veterinarian hospital to be sure she wasn’t in pain or injured. Sometimes dogs who have been on their own and are hungry will eat anything they can find to stave off their hunger pains – including trash, rocks or even sand. An ultrasound reassured everyone the dog was fine.
The dog did have a microchip, but the company had been unfamiliar to rescuers, and although they left a phone number, no one answered. Most microchips are from Avid or Home Again; this chip was foreign. Erin Lovejoy left the information from the chip and had been waiting for the company to respond. In the interim, however the team found a social media post about a lost dog who looked just like Wilma.
Cathi reached out. The owners had been desperate to find their dog and posted on social media hoping someone had seen their dog, Mila. (Wilma and Mila – yes – one in the same)
I reached out, they don’t speak English and I don’t know anyone who speaks Turkish but we managed to find out the chip was a match!
Thank you to The Lovejoy Foundation, Inc. for all your help, assistance and support.
Check out the happy reunion:
https://www.facebook.com/1487924970/videos/pcb.10227791046750123/1128688622300647
Please microchip your pets.
Happy tails Mila! We are all so happy you found your way back to your family.
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