It is reported that the moderate-sized Doberman in question was seen exiting the British Rail train from Manchester at the Birmingham New Street Station. Birmingham New Street links with Huddersfield, the place where the dog was micro-chipped, so it sure seems that the poor canine was trying to find his way back home. Unfortunately, the chip contained no owner's name or phone but it did have the contact information for the veterinary practice in Huddersfield where the chip was implanted. Authorities are awaiting a response from their query and, in the meantime, they also are using Facebook as a tool to reach them. Some 13,000 Facebook subscribers have used the social media site to put the word out to Huddersfield.
So, how did this poor pooch know to change get off in Birmingham and what caused his arrival by train there in the first place? We may never know, but he has been sheltered in the interim while the search for his owners goes on. He is a handsome and healthy, well taken care of dog, so whatever the outcome he is sure to ultimately have a good home, be it a new one or the one he came from.
I think the message here is much bigger than the story, however. For this young dog has the sixth sense to find his way or at least begin to. And we read frequently about a dog or cat carried across country by mistake who someone finds his way back home. There was even a story during the California fires of a cat who had been lost for ten years being recovered by his former owners injured, but able to survive, from life outdoors all that time. It's truly amazing how resilient they are.
Our animal friends are a lot smarter than we give them credit for and sometimes the sixth sense that they have and we lack gives them astounding abilities. But when we make the decision to bring a dog into our lives, it is our responsibility to take care of them. Such things as a dog wandering onto a train should never happen in the first place, but when we give them the proper care, the love they return is priceless.
Dogs: Gifts from God and worthy of a good life. Give them a good life and you'll have a good friend for life.