One year after prize-winning Shiba Inu was stolen, a tearful reunion

Caption

Shogatsu was found in Tucker wandering around dragging a frayed rope, more than a year after he disappeared.

Credit: Photo by Chantel Hunter

Little did Chantel Hunter know that when she found a flea-ridden, mostly furless dog wandering around a school garden in Tucker that it was a retired American Kennel Club Grand Champion Shiba Inu that had been stolen more than a year ago.

On April 7, Hunter, who was checking on plants in a garden at Turning Sun School’s Tucker Campus, said the friendly dog, now identified as Shogatsu, wandered up to her, dragging a frayed rope attached to his collar. Much of his backside was devoid of fur, and it was obvious that the dog was suffering. 

Hunter called DeKalb County Animal Services, and the responding officer scanned it for an identifying microchip. Almost immediately, the dog’s identity and owner were found, ending a 13-month, heartbreaking search for the prize-winning six-year-old Shiba.

Cheryl Giffin of Dallas, Ga., a dog breeder and trainer, had an emotional reunion with Shogatsu at the DeKalb County Animal Shelter later that evening. She said the dog, while in poor condition, will recover with lots of proper care and medication.

“His skin is raw all over,” Giffin said. “It feels just like if a human would if they had shingles or chicken pox. He is definitely suffering.”

While the dog, when rescued, was only a pound or two below his typical healthy weight, Giffin said the people who had Shogatsu “had a lack of understanding about the basic care needed for a Shiba.”

Shogatsu will undergo thrice-weekly medicated baths and receive food and hair supplements until his fur returns to its former glory. 

The Shiba Inu, according to the American Kennel Club website, “is an ancient Japanese breed … a little but well-muscled dog once employed as a hunter. Today, the spirited, good-natured Shiba is the most popular companion dog in Japan.” 

When Giffin arrived at the shelter, she said the staff was reluctant to open the enclosure immediately, so she offered her fingers for Shogatsu to smell. His joyful reaction prompted the next step, opening the cage. Then the reunion party started.

“He knew me. He was rubbing all over me and running in circles,” she said. “He knew he was going home.”

“I’m so grateful that Chantel realized that Shogatsu was someone’s dog, even though he probably didn’t look like it,” Giffin said. 

The dog was co-owned by Giffin and a friend she identified only as “Johnny,” who delighted in taking Shogatsu on frequent hikes up Stone Mountain. Last March 9, the dog, while celebrating Johnny’s arrival home, escaped through a partially open back door, never to be seen again.

She reported him missing later that day to AKC.

Caption

Shogatsu, (right) with his mother DeeDee, as a puppy.

Credit: Provided by Cheryl Giffin

“We did the whole sign, social media thing, offering a reward for his return,” she remembered. “Then someone called, saying that they knew the dog was in Decatur, and that if they received the reward money, they would let us know where he was.”

Suspecting an often-used scam tactic, Giffin refused to provide upfront money and the caller ghosted them. As time went on, it became more and more apparent that the dog had been stolen. 

“All anyone had to do was scan the dog for a chip and they would have found me,” she said. 

Giffin said she was recently reviewing her dogs’ AKC paperwork and came upon Shogatsu’s information.

“I was going to mark him deceased, but instead I just said a little prayer, and realized I just couldn’t do it,” a tearful Giffin said. “I couldn’t write him off.”

That was seven days ago, and now, Shogatsu is reunited with Giffin and his dog family.

“When we got home, he had so much to say to his dog friends,” she said. “I wish I talked dog because he was telling some stories.”

Sam Moore, the social media coordinator with DeKalb Lifeline, said in 2023, more than 145 dogs had been recovered via microchip tracing. The success rate, however, for abducted animals, is much lower, he said. 

“We are just so happy that he has been reunited with his owners,” Moore said. 

Giffin urged pet owners to microchip their animals, and to those finding lost pets, to get them scanned for a microchip, no matter what their condition. 

“You never know a dog’s back story,” she said. 

This story comes to GPB through a reporting partnership with Rough Draft Atlanta.