Every Reunite has Two Stories: Doggone Success Story
Doggone is a complimentary service that comes with every dog registration in the Manawatū District. Paired with Council’s registration database, Doggone provides extra peace of mind and helps reunite lost dogs with their owners. Each registration tag includes a unique Doggone code, so if your dog goes walkabout, the finder can text the unique code to help connect the dog back with their whānau.
The following story has been provided by Doggone and is reproduced here for reference.
Every reunite has two stories…
One belongs to the dog owner who receives the phone call they hope for. The other belongs to the person who stopped to help.
Sometimes, as this story shows, that phone call comes just moments after what could have been a tragedy.
From the finder:
"We were driving along a 100 km/h stretch of road and, at the very last second, saw a dog on the road. We only just missed hitting her - we were literally just centimetres away.
She was very frightened and ran down into a ditch, but we were able to calm her down. We noticed the instructions on her registration tag and sent a text to the free Doggone Reunite Service.
Within seconds we had the owner's phone number. What started as a very stressful situation quickly became a happy ending. It was really easy to use, and the owners were so relieved to have their dog back.”
From the dog's owner:
"We hadn't realised our dog had escaped from our property late on Sunday night until we received a phone call from the kind young man who had found her.
Our dog is very timid, so we were incredibly relieved that he was able to use her registration tag to text the free Doggone Reunite Service and instantly receive our contact phone number. Thanks to that, she was safely back home with us in no time.
We're so grateful for this wonderful service and would encourage every dog owner to opt in. You never think you'll need it, but when you do, it makes all the difference.”
A huge thank you to the kind member of our community who stopped to help, and to the dog owner for choosing to opt in to the free Doggone Reunite Service.
If your dog is registered with Manawatū District Council and you haven't opted in to the free Doggone Reunite Service yet, simply contact the team at Manawatū District Council and they'll be happy to help. It's a simple step that can make all the difference if your dog ever wanders.
Photo description: Bounce, the dog who has been reunited with their owner using the Doggone service.