AC Pup: All's well that ends well
I hope you never experience the heartbreak of having a beloved furry family member disappear from home. Realizing your pet is missing jolts you like nothing else can. Not knowing where he is, if he's safe or if he's scared can make you feel like there is no oxygen left to breathe.
The only thing that can be worse is losing two of them at the same time. That's exactly what happened to Mr. Justin Borders recently.
He was busy at home cleaning the gutters on his house in the middle of the wettest December we've had. The record-breaking rainfall in the Middle Georgia area made having clear, free flowing gutters a necessity.
So Mr. Justin was determined to get that chore completed during a rare break in the rain. He was focused on moving from his fenced backyard to the front yard when he left the gate open. After all, his fur kids, Apollo and Immy, were snuggled safely inside.
Unfortunately, his 12-year-old son didn't know the gate was open when he let Apollo and Immy outside for a break. And off they went.
Mr. Justin tried to remain calm and began calling for the two dogs. Apollo promptly returned, but there was no sign of Immy.
Immy was a 7-year-old white and brown Staffordshire bull terrier that Mr. Justin had since she was 1 when he rescued her. That was his baby. She understood him. They were close.
Mr. Justin described Immy as 90 percent dog and 10 percent human. She was unique, and her family knew she understood their feelings and emotions. They were connected.
To make matters worse, the temperature was dropping, and it was expected to be really cold for the next few days. Wet and cold was not the ideal situation for a missing dog accustomed to staying inside.
Despite his efforts to find her, Immy was simply gone. He could not find her anywhere, and his family was desperate. His two children were beside themselves with grief. Mr. Justin and his wife were trying to be optimistic, but as the days passed it was harder to do.
It only made it more difficult to see Apollo grieving Immy's absence, too. After all, Apollo had never been separated from her during his entire life. Dealing with the void of Immy's disappearance was torture for the whole family.
He posted Immy's situation on Facebook. Thank goodness people began sharing her picture. One of those people who shared it was Mr. Justin's mom, Miss Carolyn. She wanted to do everything she could to help find Immy, so she shared it along with her phone number.
Guess what happened? Someone called her and said she had Immy. Ironically, the lady was associated with Warner Robins Animal Control. She could sense Immy was lost and took her to the shelter to keep her safe.
Mr. Justin's mom had the pleasure of calling Mr. Justin to tell him the good news. Although he was happy, Mr. Justin was guarded until he could see for himself it was really Immy. So he packed up his wife and two kids and headed to Warner Robins Animal Control.
The minute that an animal control worker brought Immy to the family, all doubt was removed. Immy started wagging, whining and wiggling when she saw her family. The reunion with Apollo was no less emotional. The family was now complete with Immy home.
Lessons learned from this scary experience? Immy will be microchipped and will wear her collar with ID tags on at all times. Because you never know when a furry loved one will decide to go on adventure. But in this case, in spite of the terror of not knowing where Immy was, all's well that ends well.
Send questions to acpup247@yahoo.com. Visit www.acpup.com or like his Facebook page.
This story was originally published January 8, 2016 at 2:39 PM with the headline "AC Pup: All's well that ends well ."