Stow Police, Vet Reunite Dog with Family

A dog is back with its family today thanks in part to the Stow Kent Animal Hospital and the Stow Police Department.

A customer of the veterinarian took Ellie, a lab-chow mix found running on Fishcreek Road Tuesday, in to the animal hospital for fear the dog would be hit by a car.

Diana Grutzmacher, marketing director for Stow Kent Animal Hospital, said the pup had a collar and license but it was for Cuyahoga County. By the time they got the dog Cuyahoga County's dog warden was closed and the license numbers were not listed online.

"We scanned her for a micro-chip, but she didn't have one," Grutzmacher said.

So Grutzmacher posted the dog's picture on the vet's Facebook page.

"We're trying to take pictures and put them on Facebook because we have such a broad reach," she said.

But they also reached out to the Stow Police to see if they could help.

A Stow Police dispatcher was able to read the license numbers for Cuyahoga County and find the dog's owner.

"If the dog is chipped I have a scanner for that too," Stow Police Animal Control Officer Ed Young said. "Every dog I pick up I check for a micro-chip."

Grutzmacher said it's fairly common for people to find loose animals and bring them in to the vet — but in many cases the animals don't have a license or collar.

"This is a really good example of why it's important to have your tags," she said.