Just imagine that your beloved fur baby had been lost for over three years. Now, imagine that you were on social media when you saw the image of your missing dog on a beer can. How would you react? What would be going through your mind at that time?
Monica Mathis was currently residing in St. Paul, Minnesota, having moved there at some point after her dog had vanished from their home in Iowa. As it turns out, the dog had been in the Manatee County Animal Services shelter in Palmetto, Florida since March of last year. Is your head spinning yet?
Monica was shocked to see her dog, Hazel on a beer can from a Florida brewery. The Mathis family had never given up hope in finding Hazel and kept searching for her the entire time. To this day, nobody knows how Hazel ended up in Florida
Hazel was known as Day Day at the shelter. She was one of four dogs chosen to have their photos published on special Motorworks Brewing beer cans. They were hoping that someone would adopt them.
Monica Mathis recognized her dog when she noticed the story on social media after the company’s campaign went viral. She’d not expected to finally find her long-lost dog that way, but she was grateful nevertheless. By this time, Hazel had been missing for over three years!
How Hazel Became Famous As The Dog On A Beer Can
According to Monica, Hazel was an established escape artist and she had always been very skilled at escaping. Even as Hazel was closing the door behind her, the dog was still able to get away by knocking her down. She had a wanderlust that seemed to compel her to try to run loose.
According to the shelter’s Hans Wohlgefahrt, Hazel had a microchip in place. However, the family’s contact information was not up to date. As a result, the animal shelter was unable to locate her owners! The family had moved from Iowa to St. Paul, Minnesota.
Once Hazel had been miraculously identified on a beer can featured on social media, it was not very long before the Mathis family contacted the Florida animal shelter, The shelter staff was stunned when they learned how effective their use of a rescue dog’s face on a beer can campaign had worked, But, when Mathis supplied vet certificates and photographs proving the dog was Hazel, her long-lost dog, they quickly began making preparations to send Hazel home.
Wohlgefahrt ended up driving Hazel across the nation. They took more than two days to finish the roughly 1,700-mile trip. When Hazel arrived at the residence, the media was there to film her climbing on Mathis’ lap and placing her front paws on his shoulders.
Wohgefahrt said he’ll miss the adorable dog in a Facebook video he uploaded on the day he arrived at Mathis’ house. Wohlgefahrt also stated before the trip that he and Hazel became close friends and that he was glad the dog could finally go back home.
You can watch the full video here.
Here is an article on a dog who was missing for 12 years before being returned home: https://happymutt.org/after-missing-for-12-years-dog-was-discovered-1000-miles-away/
Photo and story Credit: FOX 13 Tampa Bay