One lucky dog who wound up on the other side of the country was returned to his rightful home thanks to a group of 20 volunteers.
Jake, a 7-year-old Coonhound, first went missing from his home in Phoenix, Arizona, last year. In April Jake was found wandering the streets of Roaring Spring, Pennsylvania, by Adam Herbaugh, who was out walking his own two dogs. Herbaugh took Jake to Companion Animal Hospital where the veterinarian scanned for a microchip and called the registered owners more than 2,000 miles away. Jake appeared to be in good health when the vet examined him and it is unclear how the dog got from Arizona to Pennsylvania.
The dog's owner, who asked to remain anonymous, was shocked and delighted to receive the good news, but could not make the cross-country trip to bring Jake home. So a local dog rescue group decided to help.
Ranae Metz, president of A Darrah Bull Bully Rescue, told ABC News that the owners reached out via Facebook to explain the situation, asking for assistance in getting the hound home safe and sound.
"My sister, Heather Shaw, is a transport coordinator [for Darrah Bull Bully Rescue]. She used Facebook groups which consist of transport volunteers to coordinate Jake's trip home," Metz said.
The group wrote posts on Facebook and requested "qualified volunteers" who could each tackle a different leg of the journey from Pennsylvania to Arizona. Once the eager volunteers were in place, the three-day trip kicked off on May 18 and ended on May 21.
"Transports are generally done on Saturdays or Sundays when volunteers are more readily available," Metz explained, adding that his team facilitates moves of animals from high-kill shelters up and down the East Coast on a weekly basis.
The entire transport took 20 volunteers, 30 stops in nine states and three volunteers who were willing to keep Jake overnight during the trip, according to Metz.
