The longest hour and a half of my life began on a cold New York evening when my Pomeranian, Mari-Mar, snuck out of an open gate in my back yard. The wind had blown the gate open and we hadn’t noticed. Mari-Mar usually runs out to do her business in the back yard and barks at us to open the door when she’s done, especially if it’s too cold. On this occasion she didn’t bark and that’s when we noticed she was gone. I circled the block in my pajamas, with no coat on, and didn’t feel the piercing temperature because of the adrenaline, shock and panic I was experiencing.

I returned home and jumped in my car to start looking but there was no sign of my little girl, Mari-Mar. An hour and a half later, as I sat slumped at my living room table with tears rolling down my face, the phone rang! It showed an area code I’d never seen before. A friendly voice from PetLink said someone had found my dog, and that the woman was on the other line. She had taken Mari-Mar to a PetSmart where they located her microchip and found my information immediately reaching me incredibly quickly and with ease. The angel at PetLink contacted me directly to link me up with these nice people and what could have been a tragedy turned into a happy reunion!

I cried with joy and quickly drove the mile and a half to where, just ten minutes later, I found Mari-Mar laying safe and warm in the arms of the couple who found her. They were such good people, generous in their time and the effort they took in returning Mari-Mar to me. This story could’ve ended so many different ways.