A stray Calico cat was brought in to the Animal Shelter Assistance Program (or ASAP) in Santa Barbara County, California last month. As part of their normal procedure, she was scanned and sure enough, she had a microchip implanted. It was registered to Josie Gower who was one of the victims of the massive mud slide three years ago that devastated the area and killed 23 people. But thanks to that microchip they were able to contact her family, and reunite “Patches” with Josie’s partner, Norm.
It is estimated that one out of every three pets will get lost during their lifetime. Experts say “only 15% of dogs and 2% of cats that enter animal shelters as strays are reunited with their owners.” A collar with a tag is still a good idea, although collars can come off. What brought Patches home was that microchip, a high-tech device that is no larger than a grain of rice. It contains a unique code that can be read by a microchip scanner. It identifies
RV Travel
January 23, 2021
By Nanci Dixon
In the midst of an abundance of bad news – rising COVID numbers, unemployment, evictions, homelessness and hunger – some good news stories still bubble to the surface.
We find ourselves mostly posting bad, sad or frustrating news in our Sunday newsletter. It’s not our fault, of course, but we want to make sure you come here and smile too. That’s why we’re bringing you this “Good News” column.
24 VOLUNTEERS AND MORE THAN 9,000 POUNDS OF TRASH
The Tennessee River in Humphreys County, Tennessee, is a much cleaner place now due to the efforts of a small group of volunteers that removed more than 9,000 pounds of trash between October and January. Johnsonville State Historic Park and Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful combined efforts to organize the cleanup.
Our weekly selection of links across the web.
Scot McKnight Image: Photo by Michael Weidner on Unsplash
We’re turning toward more light … may the gloom of our nation match this gradual increase of light.
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) A pet cat believed killed along with her owner in a huge mudslide has been found three years later.
The Animal Shelter Assistance Program in Santa Barbara County says the calico named Patches was brought in as a stray last month and a microchip scan revealed her identity.
Patches had been missing since Jan. 9, 2018, when a rainstorm on the vast burn scar of the Thomas Fire sent a debris-laden torrent crashing down through hillside neighborhoods of Montecito, northwest of Los Angeles.
A calico cat named Patches had belonged to Josie Gower, one of the 23 people killed in the mudslides that hit Santa Barbara, Calif., in January 2018. Patches was thought to have died too. We had kinda lost hope, Briana Haigh, Gower s daughter, told NPR. Her mom s several cats had slept in her garage, which was destroyed during the disaster.
But in December, Patches was found alive and roaming around the same area she disappeared in. It s a nice thing to hear that, after that many years, you can get a little bit of joy out of something that was quite horrific, Haigh said.