Reunited with dog — ‘It’s the best Christmas present ever’
Published: December 12, 2006
Josie the dog will be home for Christmas.
The black-and-white terrier mix — lost last week during a burglary at the Yakima home of Michele and Donald Miller — was back with her family Saturday shortly after a caller phoned the Millers to say his sons had found a dog matching Josie’s description.
“He said this little dog was coming around and barking at their dog in the backyard,” Michele recounted from the call.
She thought it was going to be another dead-end lead until the man, who wished not to be identified, said he found the phone number and Josie’s name on the tags.
Michele could hardly believe her ears: “I had to call him back to get the address,” she said Monday.
When the Millers and Josie reunited, it seemed like Christmas morning.
“She was so excited to see us,” said Michele, adding that a quick visit to the vet confirmed that, aside from some burrs in her tangled fur, Josie was healthy.
“It’s the best Christmas present ever,” Michele said.
The Millers believe the thief or thieves didn’t intend to take the 3-year-old dog. Rather, Josie — ever friendly and eager for a car ride — must have hopped into the Millers’ Ford Explorer while the burglars loaded it with the family’s goods.
The couple and their teenage daughter returned from a trip to Las Vegas last week to find their home had been ransacked and that many of their valuables — including the Explorer in the garage — had been stolen. But the biggest loss for the family was Josie.
“We were saying all we want for Christmas is to have Josie back,” Michele said.
The crooks got away with the Explorer and the other household valuables, but police recovered the vehicle Monday. It had been parked in the Glenmoor apartments off 48th Avenue for about a week, officers said. They still haven’t found any of the other items taken during the break-in at the home, though.
The Millers, meantime, had offered a $500 reward for the finder of their dog, but since the man who phoned hadn’t heard about it, he and his family initially wanted to turn down the money.
But Michele insisted.
“There are still good people out there,” she said.
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