Dog back home in Fla. after being found in Ohio

[May 12, 2009]  MIDDLETOWN, Ohio (AP) -- Chachi the Chihuahua is back home in Florida, thanks to a couple who found the pooch in southwest Ohio 10 months after it went missing.

Owner Robert Bartman, of Gainesville, Fla., said he doesn't know how the dog ended up 700 miles from home.

Bartman filed a missing dog report in July and heard nothing until late April, when a couple in Middletown, Ohio, saw the dog with no collar walking down their street. A pet care center found the dog had an embedded microchip with Bartman's contact information, and Chachi was put on a plane to Florida.

Bartman said Chachi looked as if he'd been on the street for a while and needed dental work. The veterinarian's bill was more than $700, but Bartman said Chachi is worth at least that much to him.

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Information from: Journal, http://www.middletownjournal.com/

[Associated Press]

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