Woman set to reunite with lost dog after seeing photo on beer can
Brewery began featuring adoptable dogs on beer cans to raise awareness and money for local shelter
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Your support makes all the difference.A woman is set to be reunited with her lost dog after spotting the pup’s photo on a beer can.
In January, Motorworks Brewing, in Bradenton, Florida, began putting photos of adoptable shelter dogs from Manatee County Animal Services on its cans in the hopes of increasing adoption and raising money for the shelter.
But, for a dog named Hazel, the campaign means being returned to her owner Monica Mathis.
Hazel, a terrier mix, went missing three years ago, according to Mathis, who told KSTP TV that she was “on a leash outside and I went to get her and she was gone from our yard”.
Despite having a microchip, out-of-date contact information meant shelter employees were unable to contact Mathis when Hazel first showed up.
After months of searching for Hazel, Mathis eventually moved from Iowa to Minnesota. Last week, she came across a photo of her missing pet on Facebook - which showed her face emblazoned on a can of beer.
“I was scrolling pretty much on Facebook and I saw,” Mathis recalled to Fox13 of the moment she recognised Hazel. “I was like: ‘Oh my gosh! That’s my dog!’”
According to Mathis, she was pretty sure the dog pictured on the can was hers, but she had her doubts - as she wasn’t sure how the pup had ended up in Florida.
“I really thought she was gone, I never thought I’d see her again,” Mathis said. “I had a doubt, I was like: ‘Oh my gosh, it looks like her, but is it really her?’”
After calling Manatee County Animal Services and providing relevant information, Mathis was able to confirm the dog in question was Hazel.
“We saw photos and vet records,” shelter spokesperson Hans Wohlgefahrt said. “This dog was such an important part of her family that she had everything to prove she was her owner.
“There was really no way we could trace her back to that particular owner. It’s a great reminder to people when they do these things to go into their profile and make sure all their contact information is up to date.”
Hazel is set to be shipped to Mathis’ home in Minnesota for free, thanks to help from the nonprofit Friends of Manatee County Animal Services. It is expected the pair will reunite in time to celebrate Hazel's seventh birthday.
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