by Teri Webster 

Miss Pattiya, a six-pound Maltese dog, has safely returned home after being on the lam for three years.No one can fathom how she survived, and of course, the 12-year-old Miss Pattiya isn't talking. The only certainty is what brought her back -- a tiny microchip implanted between her shoulders. An electronic scanner is used to read microchips, which store information about a pet's owner. 

Miss Pattiya was picked up earlier this month by an animal control officer who found her wandering along a busy highway about 30 miles from her home. An animal shelter worker scanned the dog, then contacted Miss Pattiya's owner, Melanie Dharmagunaratne of Arlington, Tx. "When I got the call, I couldn't believe it," said Dharmagunaratne, 60, a retired music teacher and native of Sri Lanka. "I was stunned." She thought Miss Pattiya was gone for good after the dog slipped under a yard fence and ran off. Microchips are credited with similar reunion stories across the country.

Some animal advocates say a national, uniform microchip system, coupled with greater public awareness of how it works, could help bring wayward pets back home a lot sooner. "Overall, we think microchips are an important back-up to physical forms of i.d.," said Gail  Buchwald, an ASPCA senior vice president who oversees the adoption center in New York City. 

"A collar and tags can fall off, or can be removed in theft." Although Miss Pattiya survived, the past three years have not been kind. Miss Pattiya returned home a little matted but completely blind. "She bumps around a little bit, but it's not bad," said Dharmagunaratne. "She's learned to navigate really well."Miss Pattiya quickly assumed the role of pack leader over the four other dogs in the house: Three chihuahuas and a Yorkshire Terrier. 

The Yorkie and Miss Pattiya sparred over a dog treat Tuesday in Dharmagunaratne's living room. The tiny but feisty dog growled as she latched on to a biscuit in his mouth and tried to yank it out."She keeps him in line," Dharmagunaratne said. 

Other reunions 

Stories similar to Miss Pattiya's have surfaced throughout the country.

The Spokesman Review reported  Oct. 1 that Zeus -- also a Maltese -- was missing for about a year after disappearing from his yard.

Like Miss Pattiya, he had a microchip.  And, after Zeus was picked up by a Spokane animal control officer, the microchip was the link that reunited him with his owner.
Pepper, a Golden Retriever, from Atlanta, Ga., was found wandering around in St. Petersburg, Fla., the Tampa Tribune reported in September.  Pepper ran off after being spooked by a firecracker, and was missing for about nine months.

Pepper was found by someone who took the dog to a vet and see if it had a microchip, the Tampa Tribune reported.

That isn't always the case.

"There's a fairly high incidence of people taking them in for themselves before searching for an owner," said Buchwald.

People may not even think to take the dog to a veterinarian or a shelter to see if it has a microchip, she said.

Even then, the system can fail. 

Too often, pet owners fail to update microchip information when they move or change phone numbers.  Veterinarians and shelters then have no way of contacting the owner.
"A microchip is embedded for life, but it is only as good as the information it contains," said Buchwald.

There are about 60 million dogs and 70 million cats in the country, and 3 percent to 5 percent are electronically identified. Ninety-eight percent of these are implanted with microchips, according to a 2007 report by the United States Department of Agriculture.  

More than a decade ago, a vet asked Dharmagunaratne to get a microchip for Miss Pattiya. She said she quipped, "Go ahead and put one in there if you want to make a little extra money."

Dharmagunaratne never thought she'd use it.  And as the months passed and Miss Pattiya's whereabouts remained unknown, she lost faith that the microchips could work.
She has since got them for her other four dogs.

Bittersweet return

Reunions with pets that have been missing for extended periods can bring mixed emotions, especially when owners have grieved over the pet after assuming it died or was taken in by someone else. 

Dharmagunaratne said she mourned the loss of Miss Pattiya for seven months.

The two were recently reunited at a book store, where a shelter worker brought Miss Pattiya.

"You should have seen the look on her face," said Dharmagunaratne.  "She knew my voice. And the little tail was wagging.  It was heaven." 

A domineering personality and persistent barking earned Miss Pattiya earned the nickname of "step daughter" early on in her life.

Now she is the "prodigal daughter," said Dharmagunaratne.

Like the parable of the prodigal son in the Bible, Miss Pattiya was welcomed home with open arms "I'm just glad to have her back," Dharmagunaratne said.