Hi! Found a very touching story!
The 5-year-old dog’s microchip suggests that he came from Saudi Arabia and had a military connection. But nobody has offered a sure answer since Rejuvenezer was found wandering in Valley Center last week, so county animal officials turned to the public for help some time ago.
“We’ve made some phone calls, we’ve sent some e-mails,” said Lt. Dan DeSousa of the animal services department. “We haven’t been able to turn up who (the owner) is.”
Rejuvenezer, from a Middle Eastern dog breed called Saluki, was spotted June 15 on rural Guejito Road. A resident picked him up and brought him to an animal shelter in Escondido, and then he was brought to the county’s Department of Animal Services in Carlsbad.
When county officials analyzed the microchip implanted under Rejuvenezer’s skin, they found that it was sold to the U.S. Military Training Mission, an 800-member command that has been coaching Saudi Arabian military forces since the 1940s.
The chip included the dog’s name, which means “rejuvenate” in Spanish, but not the owner’s.
Rejuvenezer has never belonged to the military, said Nancy Ori, inventory manager for the Department of Defense’s military working dog program in San Antonio. Ori oversees a database with information about dogs used by all service branches.
A posting about Rejuvenezer on an online bulletin board for Saluki enthusiasts hasn’t turned up any clues to the owner’s identity, either.
Wassenaar said Salukis are kept mostly as show dogs, rather than as pets. They are thin and resemble greyhounds but with tufted ears.
Evidence points toward a service member or civilian who adopted Rejuvenezer while serving on a military base in the Middle East.
“Obviously, somebody’s been caring for this dog,” DeSousa said. “He’s a real sweetheart.”
