Every evening they take a walk up the hill behind his house. But one stormy night in February, Duchess didn’t return, which had never happened before. Ronald called and called, and she was nowhere to be found.

“I went back out four or five times,” he said. “I couldn’t go to bed, and I couldn’t sleep.”

Duchess likely got spooked and ran when a transformer blew not far from the house.

At 11 p.m. the phone rang. Ronald doesn’t answer the phone at night, but this time he did. It was KHS staffer Kelleen Thaxton, who saw a Facebook post about a lost dog taken in from the storm. Kelleen messaged the finder, learned the dog had a license, ran the license number to find Ronald, called him and connected the two to get Duchess home.

“Oh, I was so grateful,” Ronald said. “I’m grateful for that license and that she is home.”

Kelleen says she quite frequently reunites lost pets with their loved ones this way.

“When someone finds a lost pet, they can’t always get to KHS or a veterinarian’s office right away for a microchip scan — and many pets are not microchipped. If that dog or cat is wearing a pet license right on their collar, the license number can be used to connect the finder with the pet’s family. This often means a quick and happy reunion!”

Don’t delay – be a hero and license your pet today. If you love them, license them!