Fox News/Manatee County Animal Services/FacebookA woman found her long-lost dog after spotting its photo on a beer can promoting animals at a rescue centre.
Motorworks Brewing, in Bradenton, Florida, recently began printing pictures of dogs on its beer cans in an effort to help Manatee County Animal Services spread the word about its adoptable residents.
The innovative idea proved successful as two of the four dogs advertised found their forever homes, leaving two to wait for their perfect new owners to come through the door. As it turned out, however, not all of the dogs needed new owners.
Hear about the heartwarming reunion below:
Minnesota resident Monica Mathis was online last week when she came across a story about the dog-covered beer cans, and was shocked to see a face she recognised.
One of the pups, Day Day, was the very same dog she’d lost while living in Iowa three years earlier.
It’s unclear how the pup made her way from Iowa to Manatee County (quite a distance), but the dog, whose real name was Hazel, was taken to Manatee County Animal Services, where staff scanned her microchip. The chip was registered to Monica Mathis, but the contact information was out of date, meaning staff at the shelter were unable to locate Hazel’s family.
Manatee County Animal Services/FacebookAs it turned out, Monica had lost the information for the microchip, meaning she was unable to update her contact information.
Monica told Fox News she ‘never thought’ she’d see Hazel again when she went missing, so she had to convince herself the dog on the beer can really was the one she’d lost.
The stunned owner explained:
I was scrolling pretty much on Facebook and I saw. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh! That’s my dog!’
I really thought she was gone, I never thought I’d see her again. I had a doubt, I was like ‘Oh my gosh, it looks like her, but is it really her?’
Monica wasted no time in contacting Manatee County Animal Services and handing over all the necessary records to prove Day Day, aka Hazel, was her dog.
Hans Wohlgefahrt, from Manatee County Animal Services, said:
We saw photos and vet records. This dog was such an important part of her family that she had everything to prove she was her owner.
There was really no way we could trace her back to that particular owner. It’s a great reminder to people when they do these things to go into their profile and make sure all their contact information is up to date.
Monica urged dog owners to ensure information stays up to date so that furry friends can always be found, without having to rely on a beer can.
It’s an incredible coincidence Monica spotted Hazel on the beer can, but their reunion was clearly meant to be.
Hopefully Motorworks Brewing will continue to share pictures of dogs so every good boy and girl finds the forever home they deserve.
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.