By CASEY NEILL
ADAM Haines is urging pet owners to update microchip contact details after battling to have his frail, 19-year-old dog returned to his care.
City of Casey rangers picked up Buddha, a lhasa aspo, from the Animal Emergency Centre in Hallam and took it to the Cranbourne pound.
He went missing from behind locked gates in Mr Haines’ Keysborough front yard about 7pm on Sunday 25 January.
“We spent hours searching for him,” he said.
“He can’t walk the few metres back from the park. He’s partly deaf, he’s partly blind.
“He’s been to the vet a couple of times in the past three months, because we’re monitoring now – we’re monitoring for that time that he can’t go on any longer.
“I knew someone had picked him up.”
Mr Haines encountered trouble retrieving his beloved pooch when Buddha’s microchip details were linked to his former partner.
“My ex and I split up 17 years ago, and he was microchipped 18 years ago,” he said.
“When you’re young and you’re living life, you take for advantage your little mates.
“Losing him and not being able to find him was one thing, but to know he’s been locked away because of my irresponsibility …
“People need to be aware of what could happen.”
Casey community safety manager Caroline Bell said the council had some concerns with the dog’s health and well-being and sought a vet report.
She said on Tuesday that the council would contact Mr Haines to discuss the vet’s report and to make arrangements for the pet’s collection.
They were reunited on Wednesday.
“To ensure lost pets can be reunited with their owners, we’d like to remind residents that all pets should be registered with their council, microchipped and kept securely in their yard,” Ms Bell said.
She said it was also important for residents to update their registration details with their council and microchipping database Central Animals Register when they moved house.
