Carmarthenshire County Councilâs dog warden has played a part in an emotional reunion between a dog whoâd been missing more than a year, and his owner who had started to give up hope of ever seeing him again.
Simon Hansell, a council warden for over 10 years, said heâs never been involved in a story with such a happy ending after reuniting six-year-old Shitzu-Bichon Frise cross Zazu with his owner last week.
Zazu had gone missing from the family home in Ferryside in April 2015 when he escaped through a gate that had been left open, and despite their best efforts including an extensive social media campaign and phone calls to hundreds of vets and kennels, his owner Karen Howell couldnât track him down.
On Thursday however, Karenâs daughter Keja was contacted by a friend who had seen a Llandeilo vetâs Facebook post about a stray dog and there started the story that would end in a very emotional reunion.
âWe hadnât given up hope â he was a part of our family, and it was awful that we couldnât find him. Weâve always kept an eye on missing dogs pages and Facebook,â said 22-year-old Keja.
âOn Thursday, my best friend phoned me and said a dog like Zazu had been found, so I rung the kennels who put me in contact with the dog warden Simon, and when I sent him photos he said he did think it was our dog, but couldnât be 100% and to come and take a look. We just couldnât believe it!
âI was afraid that it wouldnât be him or that he wouldnât recognise me, but as soon as I saw him, I knew it was him â he was a little weary at first, but within a few seconds his tail started wagging and he came to me â it was amazing.
âMy mother was on a flight to Canada but I called her when she landed and she just canât believe it.â
Keja believes that Zazu may have been picked up and kept by someone who tried to use him for breeding, unaware that he had been neutered.
When he was found, he was infested with fleas, had a bad skin condition and was dirty and matted. He was also very nervous and did not interact well with people â a sign that he may have been neglected for some time. He has since been treated by vets and is getting back to good health.
âHeâs getting better and better, sleeping a lot probably because now he can finally relax,â said Keja. âWeâve been out on some short walks, and weâve introduced him to our new dog Madi who we bought for my mother a few months ago to help her get over losing Zazu.
âWe had so much support from people in Carmarthenshire when he went missing, it was lovely to share the good news. A video we posted on Facebook has already had around 9,000 views.
âWe canât thank Simon, the dog warden service, the kennels and the vets enough.â
Simon was pleased to play a part in the reunion, and said this heart-warming story would give hope to other owners of missing pets.
âItâs lovely to see an owner that didnât give up and to have a good story with a happy ending â itâs nice to make a difference,â he said.
âAs dog wardens, our priority is to reunite owners with their pets. If we cannot do that, we work with vets and rescue centres to deal with any health issues and do our best to re-home them with loving families.
âI would urge all dog owners to please get their dogs micro-chipped â this helps us to reunite lost dogs with their owners much more quickly â and please keep contact details up to date if you move address or change phone numbers. Itâs also the law that dogs must wear a collar and tag with contact details when they are outdoors â this again helps us find owners more quickly.
âLastly, if any member of the public finds a stray dog â please contact the dog warden service â itâs important that weâre aware of all strays. We will take care of their welfare and do our best to find their legitimate owners even if you are making your own efforts by using social media. Unfortunately, there are some unscrupulous people out there that will claim a lost dog even if itâs not theirs.â
Carmarthenshire County Council deals with around 800 stray dogs every year. To find out more, or to find out what to do if you find a stray dog, or if yours has gone missing, visit www.carmarthenshire.gov.wales.
Watch this heart-warming video of Zazu being reunited with his owner Keja Howell
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