Dog That Went Missing 9 Years Ago Has Been Found Alive



Judith Monarrez crumpled onto her kitchen floor and wept when the news arrived in an email: Gizmo, her pet dog missing for 9 years, had been found alive. Monarrez was 28 and living with her parents in 2015 when Gizmo, then 2 years old, slipped past a faulty gate in the backyard of their home in Las Vegas. For the first couple of days, Monarrez put together fliers, posters, and online posts, but it wasn’t enough. She would continue for months with online forums on social media like Reddit and pay hundreds of dollars for community robo-calls, but nothing worked. Now, she was climbing into her car to drive across town to pick up Gizmo from an animal hospital. Monarrez was later told that a woman had found the now 11-year-old dog and dropped him off at the vet, where they scanned his microchip, triggering the email notification sent to Monarrez. Within hours, Gizmo was back in his owner’s arms. Monarrez said Gizmo’s first week back at home has brought mixed emotions. She said it’s clear that the 9 years they spent apart has changed Gizmo as well. The 8-pound Chihuahua has grown afraid of shadows, heights, birds, and he now walks with a limp. Both of the dog’s eyes were severely infected, and some of his teeth were missing. “Now we just have to make up for this time, and it’s like I’m trying to focus on getting him healthy,” said Monarrez. “We just want him to really spend the rest of his days not outside or being neglected by anybody.”