What an interesting development! I'm so happy that an original owner was found! Can you imagine how she must feel…?
I'm a little confused as to why the information on the microchip wasn't followed up on earlier by the shelter.
What a happy (curly tailed) ending for Charlie and his Mom! THANK YOU for being persistent and taking the time to investigate his microchip so that he can be re-united with his mom.
If he's a rooing chap, I hope he tells her one big long story about his adventure. I wish I could understand basenji-nese. 
Hearts and kisses to you, West Coast Flea!
hi there
it looks like charlie will be reunited with his family
not sure when yet as brat hasnt contacted the family but it looks like all the admin feel this is a happy ending.
charlies owners never registered the microchip with the company when they purchased charlie at the pet store , i would imagine the shelter scanned it and when the only info that came back was the makers name they didnt pursue it.
people seem to feel that the owner DID do enough when trying to find charlie, i personally dont think so, but…. the fact that others do makes me think that its alright for charlie to go back, that they are a good loving family, and that i might be too harsh in judging their actions, or lack of, when trying to find charlie, so to all who posted thanks for your opinions i hate to say it but its going to be hard to see him go, selfish i know, intellectually i know its best, and im happy for him and his family, emotionally im not doing very well with it. charlie is my first foster and its just starting to sink in that he will be gone soon which makes me very sad for me and very happy for him,
hope brat has another foster for me soon
What a happy ending..thank you so much for bringing the great news, sometimes, I mean, a lot of times, we need these great news stories.
Well let that be a lesson to keep your pets' microchips up to date!
You deserve a medal for your sleuthing and followup work, Westcoastflea. I'm sure it's hard not to give a little bit of your heart to every dog you foster (and rest assured, there will always be more if you want them!)… but now you can also hope for occasional updates, maybe, from his happy family. It'll surely be a happy reunion, and it wouldn't have happened without your help.
tomorrow is the day they are coming to get sebastian,
driving from new jersey to maine and back again in one day
it really is a happy ending
i have to admit its bittersweet, im so happy for him and his family but its really really going to be hard saying goodbye tomorrow sebastian was a very special guy
West Coast Flea, there is a family on this forum that lost their red boy from Texas- about a year ago, if memory serves me right. I know that they have hope that someday, they will see their boy's picture on here and that they will be reunited. I'm so glad that Charlie will have that opportunity to go home, and that you, unselfishly, kept persuing it until you found resolution. Some people may have stopped thinking about what's good for the dog, or what's good for the humans that loved him (for 9 years?)… you have brought peace of heart to another basenji lover!
I, for one, never really thought about microchipping until I found this forum 6 months ago- or about Fanconi, or thyroid issues. I'm glad there's a global network of caring people that are here to support each other.
I hope your next foster is lucky to have another happy ending! You should changed your user name to Basenji Angel!
sebastians family came to pick him up this morning
the family is wonderful, and sebastian clearly loves them all.
when sebastian first saw them he put his ears back and showed more animation then ive ever seen in him he licked them which he never does.
he made it very very clear that he was sooo happy.
after about an hour when i started feeling that it was time to wind the reunion down, sebastian had been leashed and instead of getting excited and heading for the door which is the norm, sebastian came over to me i was kneeling on the floor and even with all the commotion going on around him sebastian came over and put his forehead against my stomach and stood between my legs for a good 3-4 minutes even while the kids were tugging on his leash, then he put his head up and looked into my eyes for a good minute, then walked to my roommate and did the same thing for about 60 seconds , then turned and went to his family, at which point they left.
im not one for humanizing animals but i really believe he knew that his family was here and that he was leaving and he wanted to say goodbye
this couldnt have had a happier ending
I don't know how i missed this thread earlier…but I am sooo thrilled that he found his family! or actually that YOU found his family. Thanks for going the extra mile to find out his real story. His frantic searching behavior makes a lot of sense now....doesn't it?
What a wonderful ending
His frantic searching behavior makes a lot of sense now….doesn't it? What a wonderful ending
Wow, doesn't it explain it!! That is fantastic that he is back with his family. The pics really show how happy the family is to have him back and how happy he is to have them again. I'm happy that there were no issues in them getting him back.
I know it is my worst fear that one of mine gets out and I can't find them. Thankfully he was turned in to a shelter and thankfully you did the searching with the info you got. I love a happy ending. :D:D:D
i always thought happy endings were just something you saw at the movies, but today proved me wrong
brats monthly blog as of next week? will be about sebastian/charlie.
Such a sweet story and a happy reunion. Thank you for sharing.
p.s. I hope you told them about the tape worms. 
I guess I can understand how travelling with your dog, hubby and kids can get a bit chaotic, resulting in someone (the dog in this case) getting lost. Maybe in a situation like this the travellers can each have a 'shift' of being responsible for the dog.
What a beautiful ending to this story - especially Charlie/Sebastian coming over to you to tell you how much he appreciated everything you did for him.
yes
i told them about the tapeworms and about his neck disc issues
and what kind of food id been feeding him and to walk him on a harness not a collar and how much he liked the dog park and on and on and on
told them about this site and fanconi and all those things overprotective basenji moms go on and on about, but kelly handled it all really well and understood it was all about my having a hard time letting him go
she was really sweet about the whole thing
so im ready for my next foster!
I guess I can understand how travelling with your dog, hubby and kids can get a bit chaotic, resulting in someone (the dog in this case) getting lost. Maybe in a situation like this the travellers can each have a 'shift' of being responsible for the dog.
Sometimes no matter how careful or responsible you are, stuff happens.
I guess I can understand how travelling with your dog, hubby and kids can get a bit chaotic, resulting in someone (the dog in this case) getting lost. Maybe in a situation like this the travellers can each have a 'shift' of being responsible for the dog.
What a beautiful ending to this story - especially Charlie/Sebastian coming over to you to tell you how much he appreciated everything you did for him.
I can think of a million ways a dog can escape and get completely lost while traveling…with, or without kids and hubby! Of course, everyone should take every possible precaution to keep it from happening...but it can and does happen.
I can think of a million ways a dog can escape and get completely lost while traveling…with, or without kids and hubby! Of course, everyone should take every possible precaution to keep it from happening...but it can and does happen.
Heck, I know someone who was one of 7 children and on a family road trip they left one of the kids behind (kid was in the restroom) at a rest stop. And when I went to Mississippi after hurricane Katrina to help with cleanup, we left one of our group in the bathroom at the Waffle House in Waveland (only thing open because of power outage from the hurricane) - 40 minutes away from where we were staying (and no cell phone coverage) and how long it took us to realize our entire party of 20 people wasn't there. It took 'til day 5 before she was talking to us again. As was said…things happen. :eek: But I digress...
then walked to my roommate and did the same thing for about 60 seconds , then turned and went to his family, at which point they left.
im not one for humanizing animals but i really believe he knew that his family was here and that he was leaving and he wanted to say goodbye
And Thank you! What a wonderful, almost unbelievable story. You are to be commended for going that extra mile. Actually several extra miles. As a fellow dog owner, I want to let you know that I think the world is certainly a better place for you being in it.
I received your update on my email yesterday through my cell phone, and I had goosebumps all over my arms and tears in my eyes… thank you for caring for this wonderful dog. I agree with you that he knew this was his goodbye, and that he loves YOU for being his hero. I bet if you met him a year from now, he would remember the special time you shared together and greet you with wags and kisses.
Well Done, West Coast Flea!
What a wonderful story, west coast. Thank you for all you did to reunite Charlie with his family.
Now I'm just in a dither wondering about Kathy's Miss Raley. What's the rest of the story there
