Ever curious Coco feels right at home wherever he winds up. In March the nine-month-old Jack Russell disappeared from the home of San Diego Assembly Member Ben Hueso. Fortunately Coco had been micro-chipped.
Hueso said, "Not only was I ecstatic to hear about our pet's recovery, but I was even more surprised to find he had been found in the great city of Fresno, 350 miles away from our home."
Hueso contacted Fresno Assemblyman Henry T. Perea, whose staff picked up Coco from the Central California SPCA.
Assm. Perea's District Director, Erica Cabrera said, "We've had some excitement with this little guy who made his way from San Diego. He is our office dog for a week. I was thinking, 'how did his dog end up in Fresno?'"
I tried to ask Coco the same question but he just looked up and closed his eyes. Staffers are caring for Coco until Hueso's family can pick him up. But they say it will be hard to say goodbye.
Cabrera added, "He claimed his territory here in our office and is making his way to all our other offices and has become a part of our office family."
Beth Caffrey of the SPCA believes whoever had Coco took him to the vet for shots but learned he had been micro-chipped and belonged to someone else. So they brought him to the SPCA to track the owner. "It's life-saving obviously and it can be the difference between a broken heart and that of a very happy heart."
Beth remembered Coco. "Beautiful personality, great temperament, a wonderful dog to have at the shelter, was actually a roommate to Lenny here."
Lenny and Beth showed us how easy it is to scan a microchip to track a pet's owner. "And there we go, we have a microchip number."
Coco's look of contentment tells you it's been an excellent adventure but it's time to go home.
Arrangements have not yet been made for the Hueso family to come pick up the family pet. It's not known if Coco got out or was stolen from their San Diego home.
