A dog that went missing from its Las Vegas home in 2015 has been found alive, and now it is reunited with its family after nine long years.
Gizmo, the now 11-year-old Chihuahua, is back in his loving owners arms after going missing in 2015.
ABC News reports that in 2015, the then two-year-old pooch slipped past a faulty gate in the backyard of his home in Las Vegas.
During the time Gizmo went missing, a lot of things has changed.
Back then, his owner, Judith Monarrez, was 28 years old living with her parents in Las Vegas. Today, Monarrez is 37, moved into her own home, earned a master’s degree in English, and began her teaching career in higher education.
And while a lot of things has changed, there was one thing that remained constant in all those years: Monarrez never stopped looking for her Gizmo.
And like a miracle, on July 17, Monarrez received an email that got her to her knees, crying. It was an email notification triggered after Gizmo’s microchip was scanned.
Monarrez found out that a woman found Gizmo and dropped him off at a vet, where they scanned his microchip.
The emotional owner said, “I’m so glad I registered his microchip.”
Monarrez reveals to ABC News that Gizmo’s first week at home has brought bittersweet feelings.
Because while Gizmo is finally back home, the dog’s 9-year journey was evident in his appearance and attitude.
Now, Gizmo has grown afraid of shadows, heights, and birds. He now walked with a limp, both his eyes were severely infected, and some of his teeth were missing.
Monarrez created a GoFundMe for the pooch’s vet bill so she and her family could nurse Gizmo back to health after all that he’s endured. Currently, the family has raised almost $9000 for Gizmo.
And while Monarrez and her parents can’t stop thinking about what Gizmo has endured all those years, they said that their focus now is addressing his health issues and showering him with all the love that they “were holding onto for all those years.”
“Even though he looked so different, when I looked in his eyes I knew immediately it was Gizmo,” Monarrez said. “And as soon as I said his name, he tilted his head and he didn’t stop staring at me.”
