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Apollo11 -> RE: THE THREAD!!! (10/28/2011 10:23:06 AM)
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Hi all,
[X(]
quote:
Dog found 600 miles from Nashville and owner to reunite today
By The Detroit News USA
Nancy Greiser of Wayne holds Petey, a Jack Russell, who went missing in July. She’s driving him to be with his owner, 71-year-old Jim Arrighi:
[image]http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/6011/94936444.jpg[/image]
Rochester Hills— Only Petey knows the story of how he ended up in Michigan, nearly 600 miles from his home in Tennessee.
Too bad the 4-year-old Jack Russell terrier can't talk.
"He's in good condition, so I'd be surprised if he walked the whole way," said Kevin Hatman, Michigan Humane Society's spokesman. "I'm sure he's got some interesting stories to tell."
Petey went missing on July 28 from his home in Erin, Tenn., about 70 miles west of Nashville. His owner, 71-year-old Jim Arrighi, has been searching for months all over Houston County and has posted fliers and newspaper ads offering a $200 reward for finding the pooch. He suspects the dog was stolen because he has no ties to Michigan.
"He had a collar and two tags on him," Arrighi said. "If they wanted to return him, all they had to do was call the numbers on the tag."
Life without Petey became even tougher for Arrighi when his wife of 37 years, Juanita, 77, died Oct. 12.
"It's been rough," Arrighi said, adding he didn't stop searching. "I hadn't given up on him. I just kept hoping."
After his wife died, Arrighi began staying with his stepdaughter, Tyanne Morrison, next door because he couldn't handle being in the house without her.
"When he went home Monday morning there was a message on his answering machine from the humane society up there," said Morrison, 54. "He listened to it three times. He just couldn't believe it. … He called me in tears."
A man found Petey "scared to death" hiding in the bushes behind a home in Rochester Hills, Arrighi was told. The same man took him to the humane society branch in Rochester Hills, where they found a microchip with his owner's information.
"I kind of felt like it was a waste of money at first, but you never know," Arrighi said of the $45 microchip.
Nancy Greiser of Wayne was one of 76 people who replied to an email the humane society sent Monday asking for a volunteer to drive the dog to Tennessee. Greiser started the 10-hour drive Wednesday afternoon with a friend from Ann Arbor and planned to meet at the owner's house this morning.
"How can you not have your heartstrings tugged?" Greiser said. "I expect that Petey is going to be excited to see his daddy."
Arrighi is excited, too. In fact, he might prepare some chicken thighs or round steak for Petey to make him feel home again — "he was spoiled, but I love him."
"He'll be a lot of company to me and make things a little easier," he said.
"I think the Lord and Juanita must have had something to do with him being found."
Leo "Apollo11"
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