Current:Home > StocksA dog went missing in San Diego. She was found more than 2,000 miles away in Detroit. -PrimeFinance
A dog went missing in San Diego. She was found more than 2,000 miles away in Detroit.
View
Date:2025-04-13 08:41:15
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! (6465)
Related
- Rolling Loud 2024: Lineup, how to stream the world's largest hip hop music festival
- Mar-a-Lago worker charged in Trump’s classified documents case to make first court appearance
- Teresa Giudice Calls Sofia Vergara Rudest Woman She's Ever Met
- 'Big Brother' 2023 premiere: What to know about Season 25 house, start time, where to watch
- Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
- New Jersey’s acting governor taken to hospital for undisclosed medical care
- Biden administration to give some migrants in Mexico refugee status in U.S.
- Paul Reubens Dead: Jimmy Kimmel, Conan O’Brien and More Stars Honor Pee-Wee Herman Actor
- Gen. Mark Milley's security detail and security clearance revoked, Pentagon says
- Cougar attacks 8-year-old, leading to closures in Washington’s Olympic National Park
Ranking
- See you latte: Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu
- Vice President Kamala Harris will visit Wisconsin to tout broadband and raise money
- A North Carolina budget is a month late, but Republicans say they are closing in on a deal
- Judge denies Trump's bid to quash probe into efforts to overturn Georgia 2020 results
- Have Dry, Sensitive Skin? You Need To Add These Gentle Skincare Products to Your Routine
- Brazil denies U.S. extradition request for alleged Russian spy Sergey Cherkasov
- Horoscopes Today, July 29, 2023
- Malala Yousafzai Has Entered Her Barbie Era With the Ultimate Just Ken Moment
Recommendation
Opinion: Gianni Infantino, FIFA sell souls and 2034 World Cup for Saudi Arabia's billions
Death toll rises to 54 after blast at Pakistan political gathering
Rare glimpse inside neighborhood at the center of Haiti's gang war
Magnus White, 17-year-old American cyclist, killed while training for upcoming world championships
New Mexico governor seeks funding to recycle fracking water, expand preschool, treat mental health
Botched Patient Born With Pig Nose Details Heartbreaking Story of Lifelong Bullying
At least 5 dead and 7 wounded in clashes inside crowded Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon
Tim McGraw Slams Terrible Trend of Concertgoers Throwing Objects At Performers