CHICAGO ― A suburban Grayslake animal shelter welcomed back a dog adopted more than a decade ago after it was found at a shelter in New York.

The American Staffordshire terrier known as Moonbeam recently took a three-plane, nearly 900-mile trip from New York City to Save-A-Pet shelter.

Moonbeam’s odyssey started Nov. 23 when he was left at the Town of Huntington Animal Shelter. After his microchip was scanned, the shelter called Save-A-Pet.

Local shelter workers checked their adoption records but couldn’t find a working telephone number for the family that adopted the dog in 2003. Moonbeam was among a litter of 3-month-old puppies the shelter received from someone in suburban Round Lake.

“He left us on Jan. 3, 2004. He’s just adorable now,” said Bridget Lavelle of Grayslake Save-A-Pet.

At first, the New York shelter didn’t realize the agency was hundreds of miles away.

“We told them, ‘We’re in Illinois,’ and they said, “Oh, dear,’” recalled Lavelle.

The shelter ensures all of their animals are microchipped, and no matter where they turn up, the organization’s policy is to always accept them back.

“They always have a home here,” said Lavelle, 26, of Ingleside, Illinois.

Dominique Allion, president of the Save-A-Pet’s board of directors, said the facility has previously taken back animals that were adopted but the circumstances surrounding this situation were very rare.

Not only was Moonbeam gone 10 years, he also made one the longest trips back. The closest comparison was a cat previously left at an animal center in Arizona and sent back to Save-A-Pet.

“We have no idea how he ended up in New York,” said Lavelle, who for the last seven years has been the intake and foster coordinator for the shelter.

The New York shelter agreed to keep Moonbeam a bit longer in hopes his owner would show up. In the meantime, Moonbeam received all the shots he would need.

The agencies coordinated with Pilots for Paws and volunteer Mary Huspen. Pilots agreed to fly Moonbeam from New York to Pennsylvania, then on to Ohio, and finally to Schaumburg Airport in the Chicago suburbs in December.

“All the flights were made in one day, and the pilots fell in love with Moonbeam,” Lavelle said.

Moonbeam has readjusted well, Lavelle said, adding that he knows many commands and is in very good health for his age.

“He gave lots of people kisses. Our kennel staff wrote in the log that he knows how to dance,” she said.

Some people may balk because his breed is also known as a pit bull, “but he is gentle,” Lavelle said. “He’s a big baby.”

By Frank Abderholden

(Chicago Tribune)