After being lost for more than a decade, Skylar was reunited with his owner, Monica, thanks to the efforts of a kind citizen and the team at Arizona Humane Society (submitted photo).
In June, the Arizona Humane Society (AHS) announced that it received a $20,000 grant from national nonprofit Petco Love in support of their life-saving work for sick and injured lost pets. The investment will be an integral part in covering the cost of food and medical care for lost pets who are waiting to be reunited with their families.
AHS’ Animal Assistance team reunites hundreds of sick or injured lost pets with their families each year. Last year, AHS’ Pet Reunite Program successfully reunified more than 600 lost pets with their families. Sometimes, a pet can be missing for days, weeks, or even years before they make their way to the AHS team. This grant will help the organization continue to care for pets like Skylar, a stray cat who was lost for more than a decade before he was brought to a local emergency animal clinic by a Good Samaritan and then transferred to the Arizona Humane Society.
Skylar had severe matting in his fur indicating he had likely been living on the street for a long time. Luckily, he had a microchip, which let the AHS team know Skylar was adopted from them back in 2008. After contacting Skylar’s owner, Monica, AHS learned that he had been lost back in 2009 and his owner had not seen him since. Monica and her brother quickly jumped in the car and came to the AHS Papago Park Campus to be reunited with their long-lost friend.
“Reuniting sick and injured lost pets with their owners is always step one and the best outcome in our effort to help both pets and people,” said Francisco Cabello, director of Animal Assistance & Transport Programs at AHS. “Not only does this generous, lifesaving investment from Petco Love allow AHS the opportunity to make more families whole again by reuniting them with their four-legged companions, but it also allows us to continue to care for even more sick, injured and abused pets that come through our doors each and every day.”
For more information, visit www.azhumane.org or www.petcolove.org.
