Safely Home: Half A World Away, Never Lost Hope

Three years ago we lost our beloved Shih Tzu, Peppermint. She had traveled from Singapore to the United States with us when we had a permanent change of station to Virginia. Once we moved to the United States, I registered Peppermint with PetLink in the event she might go missing. Then, we did have to report her missing in May of 2011. After about a year, we had given up hope of finding her. At the beginning of 2013 we transferred to Bahrain in the Middle East. We had been pondering whether to get another dog for a year. We missed our Peppermint and knew no other dog could replace her. So, once I received the email alert from PetLink saying that Peppermint’s microchip had been scanned, I was frozen in my seat and thought it was a late April Fool’s joke! I instantly teared up and my husband and I started celebrating the return of our Pep Pep.

I immediately called PetLink and they forwarded my call to the animal shelter where Peppermint was being held. We were so relieved that she had been found!! I would have never thought that this system would work, knowing it had been so long since she disappeared. We are now working with the organization ‘Dogs on Deployment’ to have Peppermint shipped to a family member until my husband and I return from the Middle East in 11 months! I am so excited and can’t wait to hold her again! Thank you, PetLink, for having a site where parents/owners can register their family member and be reunited again! Thanks to everyone who helped with the calls! This service means the world to families and military members!