Missing dog reunited with his owners after being lost for 49 days
There were many yelps of joy as missing dog Einstein was reunited with his owners after being lost in Australian scrubland for seven weeks. But just how was the beloved pooch found?
READING LEVEL: GREEN
A miracle dog who survived seven weeks lost in scrubland was all squeals and yelps in a happy reunion with his long lost owners on Monday afternoon.
Einstein, a 12-year-old Maltese cross, disappeared into bushland northeast of Adelaide after running off on September 19 when his Queensland owners were visiting friends a very long way from home in South Australia.
For 49 days, concerned locals checked sheds, walked local bush trails, put up signs on telegraph poles and dropped posters in letterboxes in an attempt to find the missing pooch.
A breakthrough came when a young couple spotted the little dog while out on a walk two weeks ago and recognised him from the posters that had been circulated*.
Since his rescue on November 10, Einstein had been receiving treatment from Tea Tree Gully Vets in Adelaide, until he was healthy enough to make his way back to Queensland in the loving arms of his owners.
Jeff and Sue Johns, who have owned Einstein for seven and a half years, said that the reunion was a “ridiculously long time coming” and they were “very, very relieved” that they were able to take their beloved pet home again.
“Sue was in tears a lot,” Mr Johns, 77, said.
“I don’t go down that path as much. But I certainly felt the emotion, I was over the moon.”
The couple made up for lost time with their much loved pooch, crying and hugging him close, after their three-day long drive down from Queensland to Adelaide.
“(Einstein) was very happy to see us. He responded in every way,” Mr Johns said.
“But he’s still weak … my wife was holding him and he closed his eyes and went to sleep,” he said.
More than a dozen people — all volunteers, friends and well-wishers — were there to see the heartwarming reunion between the pup and his doting* owners, including his previous owner who raised him for the first five years of his life.
Director and founder of Lost Pets of South Australia Christine Robertson was also there, with her team of volunteers and locals playing important roles in keeping track of the little pooch during his seven-week ordeal*.
“When you see this sort of thing that you just realise all the hours that you put into it and everybody and everyone’s help involved in doing it, it’s just all completely worth it,” she said.
“You know so Jeff was pleased obviously, but if you saw the look on Sue’s face and the tears that she had, you think to yourself, it’s worth every single minute”.
Einstein, who weighed 9.5kg, had lost more than half his body weight when he was found and was dehydrated*.
Since receiving treatment at Tea Tree Gully Vets, Einstein is still on a slow path to recovery with Mr and Ms Johns vowing to never leave his side.
Mr Johns said this experience had left him “overwhelmed” at the lengths that strangers went to in order to help reunite them with their little pooch.
“I’ve been towards* Queensland a lot in the last 30 years that I’ve been living there,” he said.
“But being born and bred here (in Adelaide) makes you proud to be South Australian again.
“The people that we’ve encountered here through all of this, they’re what you call salt of the earth* people, and that’s all you can say.”
POLL
GLOSSARY
- circulated: handed out in letterboxes and posted on telegraph poles
- doting: caring, someone who gives you lots of love and attention
- ordeal: a difficult experience
- dehydrated: lacking water
- towards: feeling like Queensland is a great place to call home
- salt of the earth: someone who has good morals, is honest, hard working and reliable
EXTRA READING
Lost for 529 days, dog is reunited
Xena home at last after months lost in bush
Dogs then cats top list of favourite pets
QUICK QUIZ
1. What type of dog is Einstein?
2. How old is Einstein?
3. How long was he missing?
4. How had being lost affected Einstein’s health?
5. What steps were taken to find Einstein after he went missing?
LISTEN TO THIS STORY
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Searching for Einstein
After reading this heartwarming Kids News story, answer the following reflection questions;
- List the places the community checked:
- Who helped:
- What tools were used: (physical and online)
- What was the search timeline from Day 1 to Day 49:
Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking
2. Extension
Mr Johns said the South Australian people that helped search were “what you call salt of the earth people”. What did he mean by this?
How could Mr and Mrs Johns show their gratitude to the people who helped search?
Time: allow 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking
VCOP ACTIVITY
Read this!
A headline on an article – or a title on your text – should capture the attention of the audience, telling them to read this now. So choosing the perfect words for a headline or title is very important.
Create three new headlines for the events that took place in this article. Remember, what you write and how you write it will set the pace for the whole text, so make sure it matches.
Read out your headlines to a partner and discuss what the article will be about based on the headline you created. Discuss the tone and mood you set in just your few, short words. Does it do the article justice? Will it capture the audience’s attention the way you hoped? Would you want to read more?
Consider how a headline or title is similar to using short, sharp sentences throughout your text. They can be just as important as complex ones. Go through the last text you wrote and highlight any short, sharp sentences that capture the audience.