The story of that lost-and-found dog doesn’t have a happy ending — not yet, at least. The female German Shepherd-mix was found stray near Battle Creek, Michigan, but thanks to a microchip, was traced to a shelter in Paton, Iowa.

To keep the dog from being euthanized, a relay team of volunteers brought the 80-pound pooch from Michigan back to Paton over the weekend. Linn Cipperley-Price, the head volunteer with the Animal Protection and Education Charity in Paton, says a farmer in Stuart had the dog microchipped shortly after it was born in 2007.

That farmer later let a family in Michigan adopt the puppy but kept no record of the transaction. Cipperley-Price says they’re trying to come up with the family’s name. Cipperley-Price says, “Right now, the farmer that we sponsored the litter for is literally going through her attic, looking for her Christmas card box because she’s hoping she kept the Christmas card that this family had sent them so we have some means of getting a hold of them.”

If the owners in Michigan aren’t found, she says the dog will be put up for adoption — again. Cipperly-Price says, “We’re going to exhaust all avenues before we re-home this dog but we’re hoping for the best turnout and that these people are truly still looking for their dog.” Using the social networking website Facebook and a network of devoted volunteers, the canine was transported car-to-car-to-car from Battle Creek all the way to Paton over the past few days.

Cipperly-Price says, “There were eight different ladies that helped with that that I know of off the top of my head and there was probably more out there, sending out Facebook announcements and stuff.” She says the kindhearted dedication of so many people just shows the lengths some people will go to — and drive to — in order to return a pet to its human family. If the dog’s owners are located in Michigan, she says it’s possible this well-traveled hound will be taken -back- to Michigan by the same method. Then again, the family drove to Iowa once before to claim the dog, she says, so maybe they’ll do it again.

The Animal Protection and Education Charity in Paton is a “no-kill” shelter. Reach the shelter at: (515) 460-SPAY or on-line at “www.goape.info“.