Damian Leeuw microchipped his husky puppy Storm at 3-months-old and shortly afterwards, he was stolen but that chip reunited them a year later!
Cape Town, South Africa (10 November 2020) – Damian Leeuw had his beautiful husky puppy Storm microchipped when he was three months old. Not long after that, Storm disappeared from his garden. Damian knew that the only way he went missing was because someone stole him.
“My neighbours witnessed them taking my dog Storm, putting him into a car and driving off, they couldn’t get the licence plate in time. I immediately logged an SOS with identipet. I waited and waited and nothing happened. Eventually, I had to accept it, he was gone”.
“I was broken, there was nothing I could do. I drove around looking for Storm. I started spending more time with my Pitbull, Tyson, he and Strom grew up together and he also started showing signs of being lonely, obviously missing Storm”.
Damian rescued both Tyson and Storm at a young age. They were great friends so it was a devastating blow to see Tyson struggle so much without Storm.
They pushed through the heartache and found comfort with each other. Thankfully, a year after Storm went missing, the Cape of Good Hope SPCA made a call that changed everything!
Damian had left the house and forgotten his phone at home when the call came in. Thankfully his partner Taryn was home and answered the call on his behalf. A little while later, Damian came home to the best news he could have hoped for!
“I literally just walked into the house when Taryn said: Do you want to hear the good news? What good news? The SPCA found Storm, you need to go collect him. Wait, what? I grabbed my ID, quickly took out the baby seat, got in the car and left immediately. When I got the news I was completely blown away”.
“I feel so relieved,” says Damien. “It so remarkable to have him back and also to see his reaction when I got to the kennels. I thought he would behave evasive or not remember me, but he came towards me, sniffed me, and immediately started whining. I knew then, Storm knows exactly who I am, we going to be ok.”
Storm was found in Zeekoei Vlei by one of the SPCA collections officers. He was taken to the Cape of Good Hope SPCA to be scanned and that is when they got Damian’s information.
To avoid repeat cases, the SPCA will microchip any pets that come in and are reunited with their owners. Successful reunions are not always possible, because owners don’t microchip their pets. Without the microchip or collar, ideally both, it becomes very difficult to identify ownership, track and trace lost and found animals back to their owners.
Before Storm was sent home, he was treated to a pampering and grooming. The Cape of Good Hope also have tips for pet owners to ensure they are safe and can be easily traced should they go missing.
Tips to safeguard your pets
- Have your pet microchipped and ensure your details are up to date.
- Download the identipet mobile app and report your pet as lost to their pet rescue network.
- Write your contact number on the inside of your pet’s collar.
- Sterilise your pets to reduce the risk of them wandering or being stolen.
- Notify the SPCA, surrounding animal welfare organisations as well as Veterinarians.
“Should you witness or know of an animal in distress you can lodge a confidential report with our inspectorate telephonically by calling 0217004158/9 during office hours or on the after-hours number 0833261604.”
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