Twin Cities woman soon to be reunited with long-lost dog spotted on beer can
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This week, a St. Paul woman expects to be reunited with a loved one she hasn't seen in three years.
Monica Mathis happened to be living in Iowa in 2017 when her beloved terrier mix, Hazel, disappeared.
"She was on a leash outside and I went to get her and she was gone from our yard," Mathis said.
Mathis searched and searched. She called shelters. She tried, but couldn't find Hazel.
A new job brought Mathis and her kids to Minnesota. Months passed by and so did the years. On January 24th, in the unlikeliest of chances, Mathis would recognize and reconnect with her long-lost pup thanks to social media.
Twin Cities woman Monica Mathis lost her dog, a terrier mix named Hazel, three years ago when she was living in Iowa. Now she's about to see her dog again after spotting her on a beer can under a new name, "Day Day."[Motorworks Brewing]
The terrier mix and several other dogs were chosen by a Florida Brewery to be featured on clever beer cans called "The Four Packs." The idea was to get attention and raise money for the Manatee County Animal Shelter. The beer cans had pictures of shelter dogs up for adoption and each one said a little something about their personality.
One of the photo's caught the eye of Mathis.
"'Oh my gosh that looks like my dog, I think that's my dog,'" Mathis said.
The face looked familiar, but the name not so much: Day Day. Mathis's beloved dog was called Hazel.
"I have no idea how she got to Florida," Mathis said.
Fast forward to 2020 and the marketing video on social media. Mathis contacted the shelter, which needed proof Day Day was her Hazel.
"I sent everything I could find — all the pictures so I could stop an adoption process from happening because I could've lost her again," Mathis said.
The shelter confirmed the canine on the can is Hazel. The novel "Four Pack" did what it was supposed to: get Hazel noticed.
"I was amazed, I was crying. An emotional wreck," Mathis said.
Mathis said she and Hazel will be reunited in time to celebrate Hazel's 7th birthday. The nonprofit Friends of Manatee County Animal Services is covering the transportation costs from Florida to Minnesota.