Santa Ana – A microchip was all that made a lost English bulldog for 4 years to be back to its rightful (and ecstatic) pet owners.
English bulldogs don’t come cheap especially priced at $1,800 that made Louie and Eleanor Amezquita not thinking twice about having an identification microchip slipped under the dog’s skin behind the neck.
Louie Amezquita named their English bulldog puppy “Chico” from his favorite 1995 comedy classic, “Friday“. Ice Cube played a character in the movie who owned a bulldog named “Chico“. “Chico” soon was sewed into blue fabric on a yellow pillow with tennis ball decals slapped to it.
“Chico” soon drooled and panted his way around the house and did unspeakable things to the lawn. It chewed on furniture at a rate that tested the patience of the Amezquita family. Despite all its faults, “Chico” as a plump, strong and friendly pet manages to be the family’s favorite.
Four years ago, an eight-month-old “Chico” bolted right out of the family’s garage. Louie was in the garage of the family’s tan, stucco two-story in Victorville and opened the garage door. As for any other dogs, “Chico” ran so fast that within seconds it was beyond of Louie’s line of sight.
The family immediately searched for their favorite pet dog. Louie and Eleanor started looking all over their neighborhood along with their four teenage children: Louie Jr., who was 19; Valerie, 18; Raymond, 16; and Andrew, 15.
A police report was filed as well and put up flyer. Four months went by yet “Chico” was nowhere to be found even with the police on his trail. The search in the streets of greater Victorville and beyond ended with “Chico” still missing.
The couple was so devastated by the loss of their dog that Eleanor’s sister bought them another English bulldog which they named “Chico Jr”.
Oddly enough, “Chico Jr.” followed what “Chico” did; it ran away after a few months. They didn’t put a chip in it this time.
ROSCO
Last month roughly four years later and 80-something miles from Chico’s last sighting in Victorville, a couple brought their English bulldog to the Grand Pet Healthcare Center in Santa Ana.
The couple had to take their animal to a veterinarian. They were on their way to Mexico which requires a health certificate from the Department of Food and Agriculture as ordered by the government and airlines. They came to see Dr. Roy Kraemer inspected the animal and sign off on its general health.
As the doctor examined the bulldog, the Santa Ana couple chatted in Spanish with the vet tech. They mentioned they’d found the “Rosco” (their dog’s name) four years ago. The health care center has a scanner that reads most brands of microchips. As the tech scanned the dog along the back of its neck, where chips typically are injected, he found a chip.
The next day, the tech told Dr. Kraemer about the chip. They called the chip company and got hold of the contact numbers for the Amezquitas, the original owners. The police report for a missing bulldog, at this point, shows the missing dog would be about 5 years old.
When the Amezquita family heard of their “Chico” found, they were excited since their dog is very close to their family. In contrast, the couple who adopted “Chico” or “Rosco” was distraught to know that the Amezquita wanted him back. Rosco, after all, had been in her home for years. Cpl. Berg of Santa Ana Police Department made the couple understand that the stakes are higher than just losing a dog. The couple could be in serious legal trouble if they refuse to return “Rosco” to the Amezquitas.
The Santa Ana Police Department’s Animal Services never had a case of a dog missing for four years found and returned to its rightful owners. The lost bulldog was in custody of the police department. That night, Louie and Eleanor Amezquita drove 80 miles from Victorville to pick up their dog.
The prodigal English bulldog is reunited with its owners the moment the handoff was made by Berg. The family decided to call the dog “Rosco” not “Chico” to avoid any confusion on the part of their dog. It looks like an identification microchip was all the Amezquitas needed to have their dog back after 4 years.
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