Missing dog reunited with Raleigh newlyweds after 30 days in Wilmington
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY-TV) – A couple is celebrating the long-awaited return of their missing dog this week, after their pet went missing just days before their wedding in Wilmington.
“We had the most perfect like think text-book perfect wedding,” Anna Luckette said.
Oct. 17 marked the beginning of a new chapter for Anna and her husband, Brock.
The couple alongside many of their friends and family traveled from out of town to Wilmington for their wedding.
A couple days beforehand they drop off their beloved dog, Mia with a bridesmaid downtown.
“The second they pulled into the parking lot of their Air BNB they open the door and Mia bolted out, it was like the most freak accident,” Anna said. “We were out probably out till I think 3 a.m. and we were like ‘are we just going to sleep on a corner here in the middle of downtown Wilmington?’ like maybe she’ll walk up to us, we don’t know.”
Despite the family, their wedding guests and vendors searching the streets ahead of the wedding, they had to go on without Mia. This embarked Mia’s 30 day journey on the streets of Wilmington.
“And the biggest thing for me was that this was the one thing that I couldn’t fix, I couldn’t fix this as her mom,” said Anna’s mom, Sally Lemmo.
Lemmo of Cleveland, Ohio stayed in Wilmington to lead the search party, while the newlyweds went to Greece for their non-refundable honeymoon.
After posting on Facebook, the search spread, and many Wilmington community members got involved. Including K9’s On Call, a non-profit based in North Carolina that assists in re-united pets with their owners.
“In a case like Mia, with them not being local and only in town for a short period, really spreading the word is the most urgent thing you can do,” said Erin Eaton, president of K9’s On Call.
Eaton said they utilized a pet detective search dog and scent tracking to lead Mia back.
“I know they were grilling at the Air BNB, we put out scent articles, trying to lure her back to it and I mean she’s a smart girl, she managed to go pretty much unseen for 30 days,” Eaton said
Mia was scent tracked to Wallace Park where alligators are known to roam.
Finally last Saturday, a tip from a resident at a nearby apartment complex, Chateau Terrace spotted Mia.
Anna and Brock immediately drove to Wilmington from Raleigh and grilled burgers near the apartment to lure Mia in.
“It almost like when I put the harness over her head she like re-entered back into old Mia,” Anna said. “Now she is skinny, she is already a skinny dog, um she lost about 10 pounds so that just like our main thing.”
While Mia still has some recovering to do, she is finally home.
