Dog found in Oregon heading back to Pennsylvania
This Sept. 15, 2014 photo provided by Washington County, Ore., Animal Services in Hillsboro, Ore., shows a Jack Russell terrier named Gidget. The 7-year-old dog who went missing from her Pennsylvania home outside of Philadelphia on April 22 has turned up at an animal shelter nearly 3,000 miles away. Deborah Wood of the County's Bonnie Hays Animal Shelter says a good Samaritan found Gidget this month in Tualatin, Oregon. A microchip implanted in Gidget revealed her owner and hometown. Wood says Gidget was a little thin, but otherwise in good condition. It's a mystery how the dog ended up in Oregon. The shelter and the owner are trying to figure out how to get the dog back to Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Washington County Animal Services)
PORTLAND, Ore. >> Gidget is going back to Pennsylvania.
A Jack Russell terrier that somehow ended up in Oregon more than four months after she went missing from her home near Philadelphia will soon be flown back to the Keystone State.
A microchip implanted in Gidget allowed workers at an animal shelter south of Portland to find the dog’s owner. PetLink, the company that manufactured the microchip, will pay for her return flight, said Deborah Wood, manager of Animal Services for Washington County.
“We have no idea how she came from Pennsylvania to Oregon, but we are thrilled that she will be going home safe and sound,” Wood said.
Gidget’s odyssey attracted national attention Wednesday, spurring many people to offer money for the flight — from a woman in Vancouver, Washington, to a former East Coast governor who told the AP he wanted to remain anonymous.
Wood said a man also came to the Bonnie L. Hays Animal Shelter and paid for all of its expenses caring for the dog.
Wood said the owner of the dog has asked to remain private, but wants everyone to know she’s grateful for the outpouring of support. She did not have the money to fly out to Oregon to retrieve her dog.
A good Samaritan spotted the 7-year-old dog earlier this month wandering in the Portland suburb of Tualatin.
Shelter workers contacted the Pennsylvania owner and learned that the dog had been missing since April 22, two days after Easter.
Gidget’s whereabouts between April and September are a mystery. She was thin, but in otherwise good shape when brought to the shelter.
Wood said Gidget’s story is a reminder that it’s important to microchip your pet.
