Dog back from New York, back with Save-A-Pet

An American Staffordshire terrier dumped at a Grayslake-area no-kill pet shelter in late 2003 is back where he started after recently landing in a Long Island facility.

Bridget Lavelle, intake and foster coordinator for Save-A-Pet in unincorporated Lake County near Grayslake, said Moonbeam has been deemed healthy by a veterinarian and awaits adoption.

“He's doing awesome,” Lavelle said Friday. “He's super playful for an older dog.”

Lavelle said records show the dog was left at Save-A-Pet in late 2003 when it was about 3 months old and was adopted in January 2004. Moonbeam — the name listed in the old Save-A-Pet documents — was left at the Town of Huntington's animal shelter on Long Island on Nov. 23.

Although the dog didn't have current identification, officials in New York found a microchip that led them to Save-A-Pet, Lavelle said. Save-A-Pet volunteer Mary Huspen then worked with Pilots and Paws to string together three flights in small airplanes on Dec. 7, with Schaumburg Regional Airport being the last stop.

South Carolina-based Pilots and Paws is a nonprofit group of pilots and airplane owners ho help in animal transportation.

Lavelle said Moonbeam is housebroken and well-trained and enjoys playing with toys. The dog's original adoptive family could not be located.