By Shaun Inguanzo
AFTER six months of emotional distress, a battling Dandenong North family last week shed tears of joy following the miraculous return of its beloved dog.
The family and Greater Dandenong council have quickly praised the microchip installed underneath the skin of its ShitzuMaltese cross dog, Adam, for greatly assisting in the dog’s return.
But neither the family or council can explain exactly how Adam survived five months, or about 150 days, of gruelling solidarity on Greater Dandenong’s streets.
The Donovan family was left shattered after their beloved pooch and ‘family member’ went missing and was thought stolen in September last year.
At the time, Maryann and John Donovan were distraught when they discovered Adam did not respond to mealtime calls, and could not be found. Along with children David, 5, and Chad, 4, the family embarked on a doorknocking campaign to find their lost dog.
“We never gave up on him,” Ms Donovan said. “The house was not the same without him. We were all very sad…everytime when I heard a dog barking (in the neighbourhood) I would go and look around for Adam.”
Months of despair for the Donovans transpired into a lastditch Christmas Eve prayer.
Ms Donovan said her family always attended the Christmas Eve midnight Mass at her local church to pray for “good health and to win Tattslotto”. But on Christmas Eve last year, Ms Donovan said she forwent her Tattslotto wish and instead prayed for Adam’s safe return.
“We are not rich, we are poor … we go to midnight Mass and ask for good health and winning Tattslotto, but this time we prayed for Adam to come back. (Adam’s return) is better than winning Tattslotto,” she said.
City of Greater Dandenong’s animal control officer Richard Asquith said he found Adam last Friday morning on a roadside in bad condition.
“I picked up (Adam) from McKenry Place, Dandenong North, and found him in a terrible state – soaking wet and terrified by the storms,” he said.
Mr Asquith said the dog was microchipped, allowing him to return it to the Donovan’s, who were shocked and in tears of joy. Ms Donovan said the flearidden pooch was immediately washed, and so happy was Adam to be home, he did not putup his usual struggle in the bath and when receiving a trim.
The ecstatic family then pampered sixyearold Adam at the weekend to help him recover from his ordeal.
“Over the weekend my husband cooked pork chops and (Adam) loved it,” Ms Donovan said.
During his absence, Adam had lost hair on his bottom and tail, appearing as though he had been ‘waxed’. While she is unsure how Adam escaped, she fears he may have been stolen, and her eldest son David is now set on tracking down the culprits.
“My kids are very happy,” she said. My eldest son (David) wants to be a policeman so he can catch the bad people who took Adam.”
Greater Dandenong council has used the return as a platform to promote microchipping, after Ms Donovan agreed Adam may never have been returned without his chip.
City of Greater Dandenong regulatory services manager Peter Shelton said 75 per cent of lost dogs and cats in the city were reunited with owners within 72 hours as a result of microchip identification, or wearing a councilissued identification tag.
A special costsubsidised microchipping day will be held on Sunday 9 April at the Dandenong council office car park.
