Buddah's Journey: Dog Stolen In VA Returned To Owner In Wall

WALL, NJ — A Wall Township man got a special surprise for the holidays, when he was reunited with his dog more than a year after the dog was stolen from his car in Virginia — thanks to a microchip and the kindness of some volunteers.

The dog, a yorkie named Buddah, was found wandering in Richmond as a stray a few days ago, Richmond Animal Care & Control officials wrote on the city shelter's Facebook page.

When they scanned Buddah and found his microchip, "our incredible intake staff did a little extra detective work to find this dog's owner, and discovered he lives in New Jersey."

The owner, who was identified by NJ.com as John T., told the Richmond shelter's staff that Buddah had been stolen from his car while he was visiting Richmond a year earlier.

"Needless to say the previous owner was ELATED that is dog was found unharmed and was safe with us," the Facebook post said. However, John told the staff he was unable to drive.

That left the shelter with a dilemma: How to get Buddah to his home more than 300 miles away? That was soon resolved by one of its volunteers.

"None of us felt comfortable shipping the dog so we asked if any of our volunteers felt like a road trip. In 5 minutes we had multiple people offering to drive this pup home," the shelter's post said. Volunteer Jillian Phillips made the 12-hour round trip, with the effort coordinated by the shelter's intake counselor, Victoria Hall.

The public shelter is funded by the city of Richmond as well as donations, according to the Richmond city website. It handles more than 3,000 pets each year.

"As an open admission shelter we take in every animal in need in the City of Richmond — including animals that are severely injured or too aggressive to be placed for adoption," the website says. "We believe that every life is worth trying to save and we are committed to putting work behind those words."

That commitment was never more clear than in the effort to get Buddah back to the Jersey Shore and to his owner, John.

"In the world of animal welfare it’s easy to slip into a negative frame of mind," the shelter staff wrote on the Facebook post about Buddah's journey. "So many animals in need, heinous crimes being committed and cruelty investigations tend to cloud our perception from time to time. We all needed a little reminder that this world is full of wonderful people and that love and kindness will always win."

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John and Buddah, published with permission of Richmond Animal Care and Control