Donovan Baarda thought that he would never see his dog Zippy again after the dog jumped out of his brother’s car almost 10 years ago.
Mr. Baarda was astounded though this week when he received an email from Alice Springs Veterinary Hospital to say that his beloved Jack Russell terrier was alive.
The dog disappeared almost a decade ago when he jumped out of the car as they were driving through Yuendumu. Mr. Baarda searched everywhere, but Zippy was nowhere to be seen.
However, just this week the veterinary hospital got in touch with him to say that Zippy was alive but had been hit by a car and was being treated for his injuries at the hospital. Veterinary nurse, Lee Bloomfield, told the Daily Mail Australia that they tracked down Mr. Baarda by the national animal registry.
“When Donovan told us he lived in Sydney, we though “How is Zippy in Alice Springs when you are in Sydney?” the nurse explained.
Alice Springs is 2776 km away from Sydney.
It was then revealed that for the last nine years, Zippy has been looked after by Michael Barry, who discovered the dog when he was dropping his children to school one morning and has cared for him ever since.
Mr. Barry, who has christened the dog ‘Jack’, said that he had been worrying the last few days since Jack went missing.
Jack was rushed to the hospital after he was accidentally run over almost two weeks ago. He is expected to make a speedy recovery now and will be returned to his home with Mr. Barry.
