Marshall, the missing Maltese, was returned to his family today after being missing for two days, the owner said.
“They brought him to the Corona del Mar Animal Hospital today, and we now have him back,” Daniel Patterson said in an email. “Good thing he was microchipped.”
Patterson and his wife boarded the 5-pound, 2 1/2-year-old dog in a Birch Street kennel while they took a weekend trip out of town. Marshall escaped through an opening in a pen on Sunday morning, and someone found him near the airport the same day.
The woman who found him, a Corona del Mar resident, had to leave town, Patterson said. So she gave Marshall to a friend who also lives in the village, and that friend turned him over today to the Pattersons.
“My wife burst into tears,” Patterson said.
When the Patterson heard their pet was missing on Monday afternoon, they immediately put out notices on Craigslist and Facebook and contacted every dog walker and trainer they could think of. They also called Corona del Mar Today and KCAL 9 reporters. (Read our earlier story here.)
Efforts have been unsuccessful to get in touch with the person who turned over the dog to the Corona del Mar Animal Hospital at 2948 East Coast Highway.
The Pattersons had offered a $1,000 reward for their pet’s safe return. He said he delivered a check, paid for by the Birch Street kennel, to the rescuers this afternoon.
Marshall will be examined by his veterinarian at 5 p.m. today. The dog has a scratch on his back leg and has been acting jittery and stressed out, Patterson said.
“It’s been an emotional roller coaster, but it’s amazing to have him home.”
Patterson teaches English at Corona del Mar High School.
