On April 19, 2003, Star-Too disappeared. He was a rambunctious 15 month-old and he just disappeared. Nobody knows how or why. He was probably abducted. Fortunately, very fortunately, Star-Too has been found.
Star is a Siberian husky owned by Churubusco resident Lisa Buchanan. On the day of his disappearance, Star was at home alone with Buchanan's other dog, a male weimaraner, wearing a red "invisible fence collar" in a yard surrounded by an "invisible fence." When Buchanan returned home, Star was gone and the weimaraner was in his doghouse, acting very strangely, unable to tell his owner what had happened.
Buchanan was grief stricken at Star's disappearance, with no way to know what had happened. "If only dogs could talk," she said. The mystery of Star's whereabouts would last for more than 5 months.
Buchanan had never given up hope that Star would be found. When she found Star missing, she immediately took a week off work to look for Star, putting up posters everywhere she could think of in and around Churubusco.
A Siberian husky is bred to walk long distances under inclement conditions. Star proved true to his heritage. On September 18, 162 days after his disappearance, Star paid a visit to Roanoke area resident Carla Hoover. Star was over 25 miles from home.
Hoover said, "I was getting ready to leave for the airport when this beautiful dog appeared. He was friendly and was wearing a collar. He seemed to be tired and looking for a place to rest. I offered him some water and food, but he ran away. When I came back out a few minutes later, he was lying on my back porch."
When Star tried to jump in her car, Hoover was sure that he was someone's lost pet. Even though she had to leave soon, she decided to try to find Star's owner. She called the grocery store in Roanoke to see if someone had posted a lost dog notice. She called the animal shelters in both Whitley and Huntington Counties. Eventually she called the Huntington City Police to talk to their Animal Control Officer, Lori Hendrickson, hoping that Hendrickson could pick up the dog and continue the search. Hendrickson arrived at Hoover's home within 20 minutes, bringing with her the missing link to Star's home, AVID.
AVID stands for American Veterinary Identification Devices. There are two devices. One is a tiny computer microchip with an identification number programmed into it which, using a hypodermic needle, is injected under the skin of a pet, where it will stay for the life of the animal. This chip permanently and uniquely identifies the pet. The second device is a handheld reader which, when passed over the pet, can find the identification number within 40 milliseconds.
Hendrickson brought a reader with her. She recalls, "It was a very beautiful husky. We had just gotten a brand new AVID chip reader and so I ran the chip reader over him. It was the first time I had used it. An ID number came up and I called AVID. They gave me a phone number for Lisa Buchanan of Churubusco. I called and left her a message. About an hour and a half later, she called me in tears. Later that day she met me and it was a very happy reunion."
Hoover was already at the airport before Star's owner was identified. Hendrickson called by cell phone to let her know that Star's owner was found. Hoover said, "It was a thrill to find out that the dog was actually back to the owner."
Buchanan had contacted White Thunder Kennels, where Star was born. White Thunder Kennels featured Star on their web site (www.whitethunderkennels.com), including pictures of Star and a reminder about the AVID chip. It was this kennel that had the AVID chip implanted in Star. Buchanan had also called animal shelters. No one had seen Star. She took one workday each week to continue her search and make sure that her posters were still up.
Several reports of stray huskies were made, but it was never Star. When Hendrickson finally called her to report that Star was found, Buchanan recalls it as "the happiest day of my life."
Everyone involved in the rescue of Star believes that the real hero of this story is the AVID chip. Hoover: "I think awareness about the chip is definitely important." Hendrickson: "If you care about your animals, the AVID chip is a great way to get them returned. Even if your animal was stolen and somebody said 'no, that is my dog, not your dog,' they are registered to you, no questions asked." Buchanan: "It was a miracle! Without the AVID chip, I would never have gotten Star back."
The local animal shelter or most veterinarians can inject the AVID chip into a pet and register the pet with AVID, and the cost is reasonable. Indeed, it is the cost of not using AVID that may prove to be very prohibitive.
More information about AVID can be found at the following web site: www.avidid.com.