A much-loved elderly rescue dog is safely back home with his owner after an eventful afternoon that sparked plenty of concern and conversation across the Swan Hill community.
Chase, a blind senior rescue dog, escaped from his yard last Friday after a visitor accidentally left a gate open.
He was found late Friday afternoon by a Swan Hill Rural City Council Authorised Officer and taken into Council's care.
Senior Authorised Officer Darren Rovere said officers immediately scanned Chase for a microchip, but the details were linked to an address in Melbourne and Chase was not registered with Council, making it difficult to identify his current owner.
"Whenever we pick up a lost dog, our priority is to identify the owner and get that animal home as quickly and safely as possible.
"In Chase's case, the information available to us didn't initially lead us to his current owner, so he was taken to Council's pound where he could be kept safe and cared for while we continued trying to find his family.
"A social media post on Friday evening generated a significant amount of community discussion, but importantly, it also helped us connect the dots and ultimately identify Chase's owner," Mr Rovere said.
Mr Rovere also clarified that animals housed at Council's pound over a weekend continue to receive appropriate care.
"There was some commentary online suggesting animals at the pound are not fed or watered over the weekend. That is simply not the case. Animals in Council's care are provided with food, water and appropriate care, including over weekends.
"Every impounded animal is different and we consider the individual circumstances when determining the best course of action," he said.
Once officers established that Chase belonged to 77-year-old Heather and became aware of his age, blindness and medical needs, arrangements were made to reunite the pair.
For Heather, having Chase safely home was an enormous relief.
"Chase is very special to me and I was so worried about him, particularly because he is blind and elderly," Heather said.
"I'm just incredibly relieved and happy to have him home where he belongs. I'm very grateful to everyone who helped get him back to me," she added.
Mr Rovere said while Chase's story had a happy ending, it highlighted a simple step pet owners could take to make reunions much easier.
"This was an emotional situation that thankfully ended with Chase back home with his loving owner, but it is also a really important reminder about pet registration.
"Microchipping and Council registration work together. Microchip details need to be kept up to date, and dogs and cats must also be registered with the Council where they live.
"If Chase had been registered locally with current details, we may have been able to identify his owner and reunite them much sooner.
"We know pets are family. Registration gives our officers the best possible chance of getting a lost pet back through the front door as quickly as possible," he said.
Council encourages pet owners to check that their pet's microchip details are current and ensure their dogs and cats are registered with Council.
