SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - An emotional support dog that was missing for weeks has been reunited with her owner in Southwest Miami-Dade.
A veterinarian went above and beyond to bring Mia the Chihuahua back home.
Her homecoming was a relief for her owner, Martha Fernandez, who thought Mia might have been gone forever.
Martha is a quadriplegic, and Mia is her emotional support dog.
The Chihuahua had been by her side for the past five years, until recently, when Mia escaped through a fence and disappeared from home.
Her family frantically searched for her for weeks, posting fliers around the neighborhood and online.
“Everybody went outside looking. Everybody started looking around,” said Martha’s daughter, Yuri Fernandez. “My sister started doing the fliers, Facebook. We’ve done everything, so we know he couldn’t be around the neighborhood.”
She wasn’t in the neighborhood, but she wasn’t far away, either.
Mia was found by a police officer more than 15 miles away, in Doral.
Fortunately, she had a microchip, so Miami-Dade Animal Services officials were able to locate her family.
“They began crying uncontrollably,” said Dr. Alejandra Duran from Miami-Dade Animal Services. “They were so happy to have her back and to know that she was fine.”
“To be honest, this is a miracle,” said Martha, “and it’s good to know there are still good people in the world — having realized that Mia is a very special dog, especially for a person like me.”
It took some time for Miami-Dade Animal Services to contact Mia’s family. The number listed on her microchip was wrong, so the veterinarian took it upon herself to drive over and verify that Mia belonged to the family.
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