Daisy home at last

HOMEWARD BOUND: Dog Daisy is ‘‘home sweet home’’ after a month apart from her owner.

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DAISY the dog has quite a tale to tell.

The staffordshire labrador cross was reunited with her owners from Onehunga at the Northern Animal Shelter in Silverdale last Wednesday after a month apart.

Owner Adam Dinsdale says Daisy, 10, went missing from home on February 8.

"It must have happened while I was taking my son to school," he says. "Maybe I didn't close the gate properly. The next day I talked with a neighbour who said they saw Daisy running up the footpath looking scared."

Adam started talking to neighbours, sticking up posters and speaking with community groups about Daisy. He also visited the SPCA and another pound.

"We put up posters in nearly every dairy," he says. "My workmates also donated $500 for a reward. One woman in particular gave a huge amount.

"I've had Daisy for five years. I picked her up and she was wounded – she had been walking through the bush for a while. We didn't find the owner so I kept her."

Northern Animal Shelter staff say Daisy turned up behind a Glenfield police station. "A member of the public found her there and picked her up, calling the North Shore City Animal Control," staff member Sara Churchouse says.

"They came to see the dog, and the woman agreed to take care of her while they tried to track the owner down. Daisy didn't have a collar, tag or microchip. After about two weeks she was brought to our animal shelter with the view of re-homing her permanently.

"That's when a colleague recognised her. Daisy was listed on the missing section of petsontheweb.co.nz."

Adam says he received a call mid-morning but was in a meeting.

"My girlfriend went straight away to Silverdale to see if it was her. I was very excited. It was awesome." Adam decided to donate the reward money to two organisations – the Dog Protection Society and Keira Trust.

Ms Churchouse says when the North Shore City Council heard the story, they waived the impounding fees and microchipped her for free.

- © Fairfax NZ News