Singaporean couple reunited with lost dog after 9 years
Christmas came early for Spikey the dog's first owners. Thanks to some kind souls and an animal welfare group, the pooch has come home a full nine years after it first went missing.
"It was an amazing feeling and a very moving moment when we called Spikey by his name. He immediately responded to us," said owner and retired principal Gurdial Kaur. "And that followed with our hugs and affection to him, and all the fond memories came back."
It all started when retiree Penny Tan, in her 60s, got a call from a friend last week. She had spotted a dog hanging around a coffee shop in Yishun, begging for food. So Tan, an animal lover who volunteers with different animal welfare groups, went down to pick up the pooch, a 12-year-old Jack Russell Terrier.
"From my experience, I know that he is an old dog, but he is very good natured and a pedigree dog, so there’s a good chance that he can find a new family," recalled Tan, who is currently fostering six rescue cats. So she handed the canine over to Action for Singapore Dogs (ASD).
That was when things got interesting. According to ASD, after his microchip was scanned, it was discovered that the canine's licence had been cancelled back in 2008.
Following checks with the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA), it turned out that the dog, named Spikey, originally belonged to National University of Singapore lecturer Bilveer Singh and his wife Gurdial Kaur. Spikey ran away from home in 2006 when a gate was accidentally left open, and he could not be found despite a two-year search. The couple cancelled his licence in 2008 after giving up hope of ever finding him.
Spikey was in good health. This meant that he had probably been looked after by new owners, ASD noted in its Facebook post late on Wednesday (9 December). And while the original owners were eager to reclaim him, they were prepared to give him up to his new family if they came knocking.
Kaur, who is currently working with the National Institute of Education, explained that this was down to her two adult children, who were "elated" to have Spikey back, but also remembered the pain of losing him. "They felt that if anybody came forward to claim Spikey they would be happy to let them have Spikey due to the affection and relationship that they might have built over the years," she said.
But no one stepped up to claim Spikey, so the Singhs brought him back home. Kaur said, "It is an awesome feeling for our family as Spikey means a lot to us and we thank all who made this union possible." She added that Spikey is now getting along just fine with their Corgi named Zania, who joined the family in 2007.
Despite the presence of Zania, Kaur admitted, "The vacuum of Spikey was still felt, and in many occasions we did ponder about where Spikey was and what he might be doing."
ASD vice-president Wendy Low said the group has never encountered a case where a dog had been missing for so long. She added, "Most times, dogs are found within a few hours or days, sometimes maybe a couple of weeks. We did have one case where the dog was found a few months later."
Perhaps the closest parallel is the case of Walker, a local rescue puppy that went missing in March 2013 and was only found in October 2015. His owners even set up a Facebook page called Bring Walker the lost dog home.
"We have seen so many lost dog cases that whenever a dog is found, we all share in the joy. We know of many dog owners who still have not given up on finding their lost dogs. This case has given them renewed hope that they will one day see their long lost pet again," said Low.
