LEXINGTON COUNTY, S.C. — The Augusta woman was reunited with her German Shepherd in Lexington County - a special moment she had waited on for some time.
Qa-Boom was found all thanks to microchipping - something Lisa Thomas, an administrator at Lexington County Animal Services, said is very important.
"Ideally we want to prevent any animal from coming to the shelter. We would like to reunite them, rather than bring them here, so that's why it's so important," Thomas said. "What we do then is we immediately try and make contact with the person and the key part is having the information up to date."
If an animal like Qa-Boom has a microchip, it can be scanned after they're found by a vet or rescue. The number they can then look up and find the manufacturer that can provide the owner's contact information.
A good Samaritan found Qa-Boom near the IGA grocery store in Gilbert and dropped the dog off at Lexington County Animal Services.
Unfortunately, Qa-Boom was in bad shape with flystrike on its ear. Lexington County Animal Services called the owner.
"We reached out to the owner and actually got a voicemail first try, and then she actually called me back. I was able to speak with her and she was super excited," Thomas said. " At that point, she was in Augusta; so, she immediately hopped in her car and headed over here."
It took the owner about an hour and 10 minutes to arrive. Thomas said the owner was in town six months ago for a short visit when her dog got away.
"At first, the dog was a little standoffish but then the dog's eyes just lit up," Thomas said. "The dog knew that was mom and immediately ran to her - was so excited - and I was actually pretty honored to witness. The dog was a trained dog. It was a show dog at one time and, immediately, it did not miss a bit. The dog went straight into her training routine."
Now Qa-Boom is back home where she belongs, and all thanks to a tiny piece of technology.
When it comes to microchipping, Thomas said it's very important to make sure the chip is registered and that contact information is kept up-to-date. Thomas said the microchip scans are available at local vets, rescues, or shelters and the implant costs $10 at Lexington County Animal Services.
Microchipping is also free at Pawmetto Lifeline for pit and pit mixes.
Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the price of microchips for pets at certain venues. Chipping costs $10 at Lexington County Animal Services and is free for pit and pit mixes at Pawmetto Lifeline. We regret the error.
