The mysterious case of missing Muffy
August 15th 2009 04:21
It is a grim irony for animal lovers that happy-ending stories are often those with unhappy middles.
Nine years ago, in Brisbane, Australia, a nine-year-old girl named Chloe and her eight-year-old pet dog Muffy were best friends. They shared adventures; they shared a bed. They were inseparable. Until the day Muffy disappeared.
To this day it is a mystery what happened. Shock, tears, pain and yearning — Chloe turned 17 this year and, according to her mother, has never stopped missing and never stopped talking about Muffy.
Fast forward to the end of July, 2009, when the RSPCA in Melbourne received a phone call about an abused animal. They investigated, and found an old, small, emaciated, flea-riddled dog asleep on a tattered piece of cardboard in a backyard. According to the information given to the RSPCA, the dog had been kept pretty much in the same place, and in the same condition, for two years.
But there was a surprise for the RSPCA officials — the rescued dog was micro-chipped, and according to the information on the chip, the owners of the dog lived in Brisbane, almost 2,000 kilometres away.
They phoned the number.
According to RSPCA inspector Gail Coulter, who found the emaciated Muffy and made the phone call, "They were initially shocked and confused, but when we mentioned the name Muffy — which is part of the microchip information — and gave them a description of her, they knew it was their pet lost so many years ago.
"It would be fair to say that they were extremely elated and extremely excited by the call."
Chloe, reportedly, screamed with joy.
It's still not known how or why Muffy disappeared, nor is it known where she was for seven of the past nine years.
But we know where she is now. After being washed and treated for fleas, and flown home in VIP-style to Brisbane, 16-year-old Muffy is back with her best friend.
news.com.au, theage.com.au; image: heraldsun.com.au
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Comment by Carolyn Cordon
Light Within
How do You Express Your Creativity?
Food Leaf
Comment by Chris Champion
Vyoos
Zoomies
Bloggercises
The Blog of Lists
Newly Old
Money Whither
My sentiment exactly. Glad you liked it.
Comment by Roux
Mom says, "Yahoo, for Muffy and Cloe" but then Mom is sometimes strange.
Roux
Comment by Heidi/Clyde
Heidi reckoned yer was lost cos we'd not heard from yor for donkey's years, shes waggin her tail thut yer still around.
Clyde.
Comment by Roux
Mom was away 'cause she says she was not feeling too good, but she says she's fine now and will stay home and take care of me again, as she should. I didn't like her going away for so long, and before that her computer was broken so she was up the creek.
Give my best to Heidi and tell her she's right, it's security.
Roux
Comment by Heidi/Clyde
We are really sorry to hear that your Mom was ill, we worry about the Missus at times, she does silly things like climbing ladders. If she falls what happens to us? The Boss is away working so much he won't be here to look after us. I note your comments about Daisy's and Scratchy's good looks in the discussion of whiskers. I must say in perfect honesty that I'm quite an elegant hound, my litter sister Amber is the pin up girl for GAP S.A. and we are very alike. Unfortunately the same cannot be said of Clyde, even he admits he's "all prick and wind like the proverbial drover's dog" and the missus says he's probably called Clyde after the camel in the song (apparently you have to be of a certain age to know which song) because he looks like one. It is just as well he could run fast, he's not got much else going for him, though he does have a very endearing grin when he is happy.
By the way, the chip doesn't hurt much, I didn't even squeak when I got mine and I confess to being of a delicate disposition (Clyde says I'm a wuss).
your friend,
Heidi.