Missing Florida Dog Turns Up in New Hampshire

No one seems to know just how Cooper, an American bulldog, made his way from Naples to Salem, N.H.. What they do know, however, is that he’ll be home for the holidays.

Cooper had been missing for six months when two people in Salem found him wandering the streets, NECN reported. The lost dog had no collar, so he was turned over to police.

When no one came looking for the critter, Officer Corie Bliss of Salem’s Animal Control scanned him for a microchip, the station reported.

That move paid off when Bliss discovered the 4-year-old bulldog was 1,500 miles away from home, WMUR reported. Bliss placed a call to Cooper’s owner, Julie Shields of Naples, to let her know her pet had been found.

Shields said Cooper’s life has been a bit of a mystery. He turned up as a stray on her doorstep about 18 months ago. When no one claimed him, she kept him as her own and even had him neutered and microchipped, WINK News reported.

“He was a lot of work, had some bad habits and maybe that’s why somebody dropped him off. We were kind of getting over that hump when he disappeared,” Shields told WINK.

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Just how Cooper made it to New Hampshire is a mystery that may never be solved. It’s possible he was picked up by someone, Bliss told NECN. Daniel Christenbury of Collier County’s Domestic Animal Services told WINK it’s feasible he walked.

Regardless of the how, Bliss told NECN she’s happy Cooper’s going home.

“I do know that he has a family far away that misses him and has been missing him and are very excited to have him home for the holidays,” she told the station.

Getting Cooper home in time for the holidays isn’t going to be a problem, WMUR reported. The nonprofit Kindred Heart Transport organization has offered to help.

That organization reunites lost pets with owners. Its drivers intend to bring Cooper back to Naples sometime this week.

Video screenshot of Cooper