EDWARDSVILLE — Madison County Board Chairman Kurt Prenzler is serious about saving dogs’ lives.
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On Saturday, as Prenzler drove with his daughter, Ruth, to pick up her friend in the Arbor Lakes neighborhood of Edwardsville they spotted a small dog sitting in the middle of the street.
“There was this Yorkie laying there and (she) looked lost and tired,” Prenzler said. “We got out and checked on her and noticed she didn’t have a collar.”
He said in recent months, since he’s been working with area animal rescue groups on the county’s plan in becoming “no-kill,” he knew to get the canine checked for a microchip.
“I knew to take the dog to Metro East Humane Society to get her scanned,” he said. “I’m so happy there were open when we went.”
He said the manager on duty, Christa Winkler, scanned the pooch and learned her name was Mimi and her owners were from Texas.
“Christa called the number and found out the owners just moved to Edwardsville,” Prenzler said.
Prenzler greeted the owner in the parking lot of the humane society.
“She was so happy to see (her owner), she just perked right up,” he said.
Anne Schmidt, executive director of MEHS, said that this is an example of why people should microchip their pets.
“Chairman Prenzler did exactly what people should do when they find a lost animal,” Schmidt said. “He made sure to take the dog where it could be checked for a microchip. Once she was checked, we were able to call the owners and Chairman Prenzler was able to reunite Mimi with her family.”
Prenzler said he was able to see firsthand the process in which MEHS scans for microchips and what they do with the information.
He said he never got the name of the dog’s owner, but is glad she was able to be reunited with them.
“I’m sure she was scared,” he said. “We found her about a quarter-mile from where they moved.”
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