Portland man reunited with dog that was adopted out while he was in Auburn hospital
AUBURN, Wash. - A Portland man has been reunited with his dog after a planned visit to a national park went awry and left him in the hospital and without his canine companion.
Joey Martin staying in Auburn, with the hopes of visiting the Olympic National Park, when he had a personal medical emergency.
Due to that emergency, he had to leave everything in his hotel room without any notice, including his four-legged travel companion, Max.
That’s when animal control got a call about a dog abandoned in a hotel room.
Phil Morgan, the president and CEO of the Auburn Valley Humane Society, said Max had a microchip, which is a good thing, but unfortunately, the information was not updated.
"We spent three days making phone calls and emails and texts with no response," Morgan said.
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With the Auburn Valley Humane Society experiencing an adoption shortage, Max was adopted in less than a week.
Once out of the hospital, Martin was crushed to find out what happened to his dog and made a plea on a Facebook page for lost and found pets in Auburn.
In that post, he revealed how he and Max had saved each other.
"It was his last chance as he had been adopted two times previously and returned. He was strong, unruly, and a big beautiful goof! I’ve loved him since we first met," Martin said. "Max is also my approved emotional support animal to help with the struggles I face involving PTSD and anxiety."
The response to his post was overwhelming, but it was nothing compared to the moment he and Max were reunited for the first time in three weeks.
The Auburn Valley Humane Society put him in contact with the person who adopted him and told them his story.
"It went well and we’re very happy that they saw the importance and the need to reunite Max with his owner," Morgan said.
‘I want to give them a sincere thank you for helping me get my dog back," Martin said.
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