Woman reunites with pet dog, nine years after she lost him as a young puppy

In a heartwarming incident, a woman has reunited with her pet dog after nearly a decade of separation. Judith Monarrez, a resident of Las Vegas, reunited with her pet, Gizmo, a Chihuahua mix, last week, nine years after he went missing.

WJLA

Separated in February 2015

Gizmo was still a young puppy when he escaped from Monarrez's house while playing with two other family dogs in the backyard in February 2015, without his collar. While a neighbor of Monarrez managed to bring back the other two dogs, Gizmo was gone.

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Unending search for pet

A heartbroken Monarrez then started frantically searching for Gizmo but to no avail. However, she was not willing to give up, as her search for Gizmo went beyond days, weeks, months, and even years, without any success.

GoFundMe

Monarrez reached out to neighborhood groups, pet forums on Facebook, and more, posting regularly about Gizmo, and all she got in return was disappointment and at times, attempts to scam.

Monarrez said she used to get calls and emails from people claiming that they had her missing pet and asking her for money in exchange for his return.

Microchip to the rescue

But then, out of the blue, Monarrez received an email from a microchip company she'd registered her dog with, saying someone had dropped Gizmo off at the Animal Emergency Center in Henderson.

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When she called the Animal Emergency Center of Las Vegas and Henderson, they confirmed that they, in fact, had the dog.

Monarrez rushed to the facility and, to her pleasant surprise, it was Gizmo.

¡°I broke down in tears. I knew immediately it was him. I can¡¯t forget those yellow amber eyes. I can¡¯t forget them, ever ¡ª they¡¯re Gizmo,¡± she said.

KHQA

Next challenge for Gizmo¡¯s owner

While she was overjoyed to have her pet back, Monarrez was soon hit by a new reality. Gizmo was in poor health and is in urgent need of extensive medical care.

Gizmo¡¯s hair had to be shaved off after becoming matted as part of his recovery process. He also suffers from severe dental disease, spinal fractures, and ongoing eye and possible ear infections.

GoFundMe

Monarrez, who shared the good news of reuniting with her pet through her campaign page, is now hoping to raise the amount required for his treatment through crowdfunding.

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