A local family whose dog was stolen two years has spoken of the delight at the news that she was found in Dublin and traced back to them using micro-chip technology.
Athenry-based Adam Nawrocki and his wife Justina received a call from the DSPCA after French Bulldog Baya was discovered wandering in Dublin.
She had been stolen in the days before Christmas in 2020, leading to much heartbreak for the family.
However, Baya was traced back to them after the Dublin Society for Prevention of Cruelty of Animals used micro-chip technology after a woman found her in the middle of a busy Dublin street.
Little Baya, a pug, was found over the weekend by the woman who brought her to the Dublin Society for Prevention of Cruelty of Animals (DSPCA ) based in Rathfarnham. The dog was 207km from her original home.
When charity officials scanned her to establish whether she was microchipped, which would show who owned her, they found that the dog had been flagged on the FIDO (Fast Identification Online ) database that she was classed as lost/stolen.
The family had searched relentlessly for Baya when she was originally stolen in December 2020 – but their efforts proved fruitless.
It’s not known how she ended up in Dublin, where she was discovered in recent days – or what had happened to her over the past two years.
But tears of joy were shed yesterday as Adam, Justina, and their children Max and Mia were reunited with Baya.
Speaking after they were reunited, Adam said they were overjoyed but that the experience had been very traumatising for the children and that Baya was much changed from when they last saw her.
“She was delighted to see us and she recognised us, but the kids never forgot the trauma they suffered at her disappearance. They are happy with the reuniting but they are also remembering the pain of her loss.
“She is on a special diet now and recovering and lying in front of the fireplace which was her favourite spot.”
He said he was now calling on the Minister for Justice to impose greater penalties on those convicted of stealing dogs, because a dog is not just a possession, but. amember of a family. Fido.ie was founded in 2004 to help reunite lost pets with their owners by providing a 24-hour recovery service for pets identified with a microchip.
Gillian Bird, a spokesperson for the DSPCA said: “It was only (recently ) that we highlighted the importance of microchipping your pets and then little Baya came along. Thankfully she was microchipped.
“It is unclear if she had strayed or was taken from her family. Perhaps someone found her and put up posters about her across various parts of the country or Dublin.
“That is why it’s so important to go through official channels of going to a dog pound, so a dog can be scanned for a microchip.
“It is also vital that veterinary surgeons scan dogs to see if they are microchipped.
“We were able to reunite her with her heartbroken owners with one simple phone call. They would never have found her had it not been for her microchip, so please everyone, make sure your pet is microchipped and registered to you, you owe it to them.”
Baya headed home with her very emotional and overjoyed family on Saturday.
Ms Bird added: “We’ve received lots of updates since her homecoming, and she’s settled right back into her home and doesn’t mind sharing her bed with her new four legged sister.
“Life is good again for sweet gentle Baya all thanks to her microchip, and we couldn’t be happier”.
