COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa — When Ally Blue held the leash of Burtie, her missing American Staffordshire Terrier, she decided she wasn’t ready to let go at any time soon.
Earlier this month, she received a call from the Midlands Humane Society in Council Bluffs — a five-hour drive from her home in Huron — that Burtie was rescued.
After almost two years, Burtie reconnected with her family last week, meeting the two children born to the Blues in the years Burtie had been gone; Townes, 19 months, and Maverick, four months.
Although the circumstances in which Burtie ended up in Council Bluffs are unknown, DeAnn Nelson, animal control officer for Council Bluffs, said this exemplifies the primary reason for pet owners to get their animals microchipped.
Blue and her husband, Beau, moved to South Dakota from California in the fall of 2016, shortly after acquiring Burtie.
“In California,” Ally said, “it is required when you adopt a pet that they be fixed and that they are chipped. I am obviously so very happy that Burtie was chipped.”
The Blues bought a house and Ally had became pregnant with their first child when Burtie was allegedly stolen from their property in 2017.
“I was in our front room cleaning our windows. I saw Burtie in the front yard, and thought ‘There’s no way she could have gotten out,’” Blue said. “I put our other dog in a safe place and went outside, but she was gone. I couldn’t believe it. We never saw a trace of her again.”
Blue said they called the humane society every day and searched for a long time before realizing Burtie may never come home.

“We didn’t forget about her; we just didn’t think we would ever see her again. We had her harness, leash and favorite blanket, and kept it because … you never know.”
When the Blue family received the call from Midlands just before Easter, they said they were shocked and couldn’t believe that she was found almost five hours away.
“I called my entire family, everyone was so excited. Of course we are going to go get her,” Ally Blue said.
The family made the trip from Huron to Council Bluffs and back to retrieve their beloved Burtie.
“Hopefully she gets home and fits right back in where she was and we can get some more meat on her bones. This is what she looked like when we adopted her,” Ally Blue said.
Although Burtie appeared calm reuniting with her loved ones, Kori Nelson, Midlands Humane Society director of development and marketing, said the honeymoon period can take a while to figure out for some animals.
“She has a ton to take in. She has to figure out what everyone’s role is and where her safe zone is since everything has been uprooted for her several times. They have to learn a new way of life again.”
Ally was happy to report that while the re-adjustment would be done over time, Burtie seemed to be doing well, back in familiar surroundings.
“She rode home without much notice,” she said, “but when we pulled into the driveway and she recognized that she was back home she jumped up on the seat and started wagging her tail! I wish we would have recorded it!”
She added that Burtie is finding her way in a household that has doubled in size since she disappeared. “It’s kind of like she’s wondering ‘What did you guys do while I was gone?’” Ally said with a grin.
The saving grace for Burtie was her microchip that identified the contact information of her original owners. Since pit bulls are banned in Council Bluffs, Nelson said Burtie would have been put on the adoption floor had it not been for the microchip.
Galen Barrett, chief animal control officer for Council Bluffs, said the person who had possession of Burtie in Council Bluffs was watching over her for a family member who was incarcerated. Barrett said that person had taken care of her for the last three months and didn’t know the dog was stolen.
Barrett said Burtie was found “running at large” and was reported missing by her temporary guardian, who acknowledged Burtie as a “friendly, really nice dog.”
“This is one great example of a reason to get microchips for your pets. We would have put Burtie up for adoption out of city limits if we weren’t able to contact her owners,” Nelson said.
“It is the one continuous link to your animal that no picture or paper can do, it’s a foolproof way to take ownership of your pets,” added Nelson.
“I cannot recommend enough having your pet microchipped,” Ally Blue said. “It was what brought Burtie back to us.”