SAN DIEGO (KSWB/KUSI) — A California family has finally been reunited with their fur baby after the terrier mix went missing over seven months ago. But that’s not all to the story, she was found more than 2,000 miles away in Michigan.
The dog named Mishka was at her owner’s auto shop in July 2023 when she went missing. The owner, Mehrad Houman, and his family live in San Diego.
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When his wife, Elizabeth, and their daughter got the call that Mishka went missing, they told Nexstar’s KSWB that they immediately flew back from their vacation in Minneapolis and started putting up flyers. They said they never expected her to be missing for so long since she is microchipped and has a collar with the family’s phone number on it.
“We never gave up hope,” Elizabeth said.
Mishka remained missing for over seven months before turning up thousands of miles away in Detroit, Michigan.
“I put up over a thousand flyers within a few months. I put a flyer on my back windshield just to put it out there. I wore her leash, so if I saw her I would grab her and put her in my car. It was one of the most horrifying things knowing someone took her with identification and disregarded us and our family. It was really hard,” Elizabeth said.
The family was heading to Minnesota to visit family last Thursday when they got a call saying their dog had been found. After landing in Minnesota, Mehrad drove 10 hours to Michigan to get their beloved family pet from the Grosse Pointe Animal Adoption Society.
Police in Harper Woods, Michigan, had responded to a call about a stray dog, picked up the terrier mix and contacted the animal welfare group. The Grosse Pointe Animal Adoption Society said it quickly discovered Mishka had an identity chip implanted in her with information about her owners, according to the Associated Press.
“We think it was stolen and then it was sold and ended up in Michigan,” said Corinne Martin, director of Grosse Pointe Animal Adoption Society.
Veterinarian Nancy Pillsbury examined 3-year-old Mishka, gave her a rabies shot, and cleared her to travel back home to California.
The family said they are very grateful to have her home and are extremely thankful for the good Samaritan that found her. They also said Mishka seems to have separation anxiety and related PTSD, weighs much less than before and is very tired.
“We’re never going to let her go again,” Elizabeth said.
The family also thanked the Grosse Pointe Animal Adoption Society for providing her a collar, leash, carrier, a vet visit, and even papers for Mishka to fly home. They intend to contact the police in San Diego in an effort to find out who took Mishka.
“We really want to figure out who took Mishka, and how she got to Detroit, Michigan from San Diego,” Elizabeth said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
