A Tennessee family ushered in 2023 in high spirits after reuniting with their missing dog, Daisy, on New Year’s Eve
According to the Ocean County Health Department, Tyler Price and his family drove 11 hours from their home in Tennessee to the Ocean County Animal Facility in Jackson, New Jersey, after learning the shelter had their bloodhound who had been missing for two years. Before arriving at the shelter, Daisy was removed from an alleged puppy mill in Brick, New Jersey, along with over 170 other cats and dogs, per NJ.com.
It is unclear how Daisy got to New Jersey from Tennessee and ended up in a building with dozens of other pets. Brian Lippai, a spokesman for the Ocean County Health Department, said it is likely the pooch got passed from person to person up the East Coast until she ultimately ended up at the Brick home crammed with animals, according to NJ.com. Authorities said they found 135 dogs and 45 cats in cages smelling of urine and feces at the residence on Dec. 2.
Officers from the Brick Township Police Department needed the assistance of a hazmat unit to remove the animals from the alleged puppy mill due to the unsanitary conditions inside the home. The team removed 180 animals, two pets were found deceased, and eight animals required emergency medical services. Rescuers transported the remaining animals to three New Jersey animal shelters, where the pets were groomed, examined, and put up for adoption.
Along with Daisy, at least one other pet rescued from the Brick home was a missing animal with a loving family still hoping their dog would come home, NJ.com reported. Luckily for the Prices, Daisy’s microchip was updated with the family’s current contact information. So when authorities scanned the pet for a microchip and found one, it was easy for them to alert Daisy’s family.
The Price family’s reunion with Daisy was not short on tears or tail-wags. Daisy reacted to her family with sweet recognition and enthusiasm, despite two years away from home and an indeterminate amount of time in an alleged puppy mill.
“Daisy the bloodhound was all slobber and smiles when she met her family for the first time in several years,” the Ocean County Health Department shared.