Current:Home > NewsA dog went missing in San Diego. She was found more than 2,000 miles away in Detroit.-InfoLens
A dog went missing in San Diego. She was found more than 2,000 miles away in Detroit.
View Date:2025-01-11 03:08:58
A dog that went missing in San Diego over the summer was reunited with her owner after she was found more than 2,300 miles away in a Detroit suburb.
"This is a tale that Hollywood would love to tell," the Grosse Pointe Animal Adoption Society wrote in a post about the reunion.
In a video, the group said it quickly discovered that a stray dog picked up by police in Harper Woods, Michigan, has been missing from her "forever home" since July.
The dog, a terrier mix named Mishka, was Elizabeth Houman's beloved family pet.
"My daughter and I were traveling for a month out of town, and Mishka went everywhere with me. She's definitely a mama's girl," Houman told USA TODAY. "So my husband would bring her to his mechanic shop for company and she got out and he thinks that she was looking for me."
Houman said Mishka, who is microchipped and wore a collar with the couple's phone number, had gotten out before but had returned within minutes.
For two weeks, the couple − hopeful Mishka would be found − didn't tell their then 4-year-old daughter that she was missing. Houman said they instead told her that the dog was at the vet getting checked out until they eventually had to come clean.
Houman believes Mishka was most likely taken.
"It was the most horrifying thing to go through that someone intentionally took your dog and kept it for themselves. I was so worried about her well-being − if she was being treated kindly and not neglected," Houman said.
She then got to work searching for the pup. Houman said her sister flew out from Minneapolis to help her post over 1,000 flyers of Mishka.
“We will do anything to get our baby back,” Elizabeth Houman said in a Facebook post in July.
Houman left no stone unturned. She had a flyer placed on the back of her car, she posted on social media sites, and she even paid for a premium plan with the pet recovery service Home Again.
"I always carried her leash with me in the front seat of the car. And then I wore her leash in case I saw her on the street," she said.
Owner drives 12 hours to get Mishka back
Houman said the family was getting ready to fly to Minneapolis to celebrate Easter when they received a call that Mishka was found.
"I just started sobbing for like 10 minutes on the phone and can't thank the team at the shelter. They've been so amazing," she said.
After landing in Minneapolis late Thursday night, Houman said they were planning on figuring out a plan to get Mishka the next morning, but her husband couldn't wait.
"He took off in the middle of the night and drove. It was actually a 12-hour drive to outside of Detroit, Michigan," Houman said. "He drove all night on no sleep, just adrenaline and energy drinks."
Mishka immediately recognized him and began jumping up and down in her cage, Houman said.
He drove Mishka back to Minneapolis to be reunited with the rest of the family before they all got on a flight home.
"She was sitting in the backseat. He pulled up to my mom's house. We started running. We were calling to her and then she jumped into the front seat and basically tried to jump out of the window," Houman said of the moment she and her daughter were reunited with Mishka.
Mishka settling back in at home
According to the Grosse Pointe Animal Adoption Society, Mishka was identified thanks to a microchip.
Mishka was checked out by a vet before flying home, and Houman said she was thankfully healthy.
However, after several months away from home, the pup was tired and a lot thinner.
"She's definitely suffering from PTSD. So whenever I leave the house she whines and barks and cries and she's never done that before," Houman said.
Houman said she plans to get Mishka certified so she could go to children's hospitals and nursing homes.
"She's such a friendly dog. I mean, that's why someone took her: She's so sweet and will snuggle with you. I just want to share the love that she's giving out to other people, especially people that need it," Houman said.
veryGood! (69557)
Related
- Beyoncé course coming to Yale University to examine her legacy
- Burner phones, aliases, code words: The secret networks that women use to circumvent Honduras' abortion ban
- Kate Bosworth and Justin Long Are Engaged
- New frog species with groins of fire discovered in Amazon with colors that resemble flames
- Advocates Expect Maryland to Drive Climate Action When Trump Returns to Washington
- The U.S.' top general reflects on the changing face of war, 79 years after D-Day
- 21 Useful Amazon Products That'll Help You Stop Losing Things
- Tennis stars get lots of hate online. The French Open gave them AI 'bodyguards'
- Is Veterans Day a federal holiday? Here's what to know for November 11
- We ranked the top 10 'Final Fantasy' mainline games
Ranking
- Suspect in deadly 2023 Atlanta shooting is deemed not competent to stand trial
- Salman Rushdie warns against U.S. censorship in rare public address 9 months after being stabbed onstage
- Brigitte Macron's relative assaulted at family chocolate shop
- After days of destruction, Macron blames a familiar bogeyman: video games
- Powerball winning numbers for November 11 drawing: Jackpot hits $103 million
- Inside Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth's Drama-Free Decision to Divorce
- At least 12 killed, dozens hurt in stampede at El Salvador soccer match
- The surprising case for AI boyfriends
Recommendation
-
Mechanic dies after being 'trapped' under Amazon delivery van at Florida-based center
-
Search for Madeleine McCann will resume in coming days, say Portuguese police
-
Myanmar junta accused of blocking aid to Cyclone Mocha-battered Rohingyas as death toll climbs
-
Mexico issues first non-binary passport on International Day Against Homophobia
-
NBA today: Injuries pile up, Mavericks are on a skid, Nuggets return to form
-
One Direction's Liam Payne says he's over 100 days sober: I feel amazing
-
Ice-T Reveals Whether He and Coco Austin Will Have Another Baby
-
Wizards of Waverly Place Showrunner Confirms Theories About Alex Russo’s Sexuality