Rambo the Runner

Moving to a new city can be scary for humans but can be even scarier for your pets. Just ask Rambo, the yellow lab who struggled adjusting to his new life in the Big Apple and decided to run away.

Rambo is a well-behaved lab who always stays close to his owners and comes when he’s called, never venturing off. But growing up in Michigan with a large yard is very different from his new life in New York City.

“When we found out we were moving to New York, and going to live in the city, I was very nervous about having dogs in the city. We found an apartment one block from the park, which was very important to me” said his owner Sheri. “I got him registered with a New York tag. I wasn’t taking any chances. We even did some ‘city’ training in Michigan just to get him more comfortable with noises, traffic, riding an elevator, and walking with a harness.”

Rambo however did surprisingly well in the Big Apple, particularly on his walks through Central Park — Sheri even had to try and stop him from saying hi to every dog or human he passed since he couldn’t resist! Rambo even learned how to walk on a busy sidewalk with passersby and how to use the bathroom without grass — a challenging feat for most dogs to overcome! After a month of the city-life, Sheri was introduced to a dog walker that came highly recommended, and Rambo was eager to explore with his new human! Except, Rambo decided to go exploring… without the dog-walker.

During his walk, Sheri received terrible news from the dog-walker, Rambo had slipped out of his collar, leaving behind any form of identification, and took off running down Madison Avenue!
“I was in shock and disbelief” said Sheri. “My husband and I dropped everything and just started running all over! I ran down Madison so fearful of seeing him in the street hit by a car, no one will know who he is, and he is probably so scared! I knew he had a chip but just didn’t think it would ever work. I called my vet in Michigan in tears and they tried to reassure me that all vets and rescue centers have a device to scan him and then can get my info. I still didn’t believe it would really work.”

Two hours later, Sheri’s phone rang, and she heard the best words ever. A stranger found Rambo muddy and exhausted from his run and turned him in to an animal hospital in the city where his microchip was scanned — an animal hospital that was 12 blocks away from where he’d gotten loose!

“I grabbed a cab and it was the longest ride ever, but I needed to see him and make sure it was really him. What a reunion it was, my baby was ok!” said Sheri. “AKC Reunite was so kind and called to make sure he was safe and home with me. They sent me text and a call where he was with the hospital’s address and a number to call if I needed anything. AKC reunite was amazing! I will be telling everyone to get their dog chipped.”