LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — One Las Vegas family is whole again after reuniting with their dog they lost nine years ago.
“I broke down in tears. I knew immediately it was him," said Judith Monarrez, one of Gizmo's owners. "I can’t forget those yellow amber eyes. I can’t forget them, ever — they’re Gizmo.”
Gizmo is an 11-year-old chihuahua, but when he was only 2 years old — on Feb. 3, 2015 — Gizmo and the family's other two dogs got out of the house. The family says a neighbor was able to grab the other two dogs, but not Gizmo.
Monarrez says someone took him.
"She picked him up, told my neighbor she was going to get him checked for his chip, and it never happened," Monarrez said.
Monarrez says she tried everything to get him back.
"For years, I posted. I mean, after his disappearance, I posted tons of fliers; I reached out to Facebook groups," Monarrez said.
No matter how hard she tried, nothing worked.
"It was horrible. It was heartbreaking. It makes you lose faith in humanity," Monarrez said.
Then, last Wednesday night, she received an email from a microchip company she'd registered her dog with, saying after nine years, someone dropped Gizmo off at the Animal Emergency Center in Henderson.
“When I called, they were like, 'We have him. It’s him," Monarrez said.
She says she was so grateful the center took care of her dog and took the time to look up Gizmo's microchip to call her.
Monarrez tells Channel 13 she received several fake emails and calls with people claiming they had Gizmo, but all of them were lying. She says they would ask for money in exchange for Gizmo, but she did not fall for the scams.
Despite the family finding Gizmo, there are still several questions that remain. What happened to Gizmo in the nine years he was missing? The family says they don't know, but he's not in great shape.
“He was severely matted. They had to shave him down," Monarrez said. "He’s missing a lot of teeth. They told us that he had teeth falling out of his mouth when they dropped him off…severe dental disease, periodontal disease; he had a horrible eye infection."
The family posted this GoFundMe Page and are asking for help covering his medical bills.
They tell Channel 13 initial visits to the vet are already going to cost them more than $4,000 — let alone the impending procedures.
“I need to get X-rays done, blood work done, all that — and I’m a teacher, so it’s really hard to come by right now," Monarrez said.
Monarrez says Gizmo was microchipped at The Animal Foundation before he was taken. She says that's the only way they were able to get him back.
“A microchip is permanent. It’ll have your identification just in case your pet every goes missing," said Animal Foundation communications manager Kelsey Pizzi.
“Even though, unfortunately, he was gone for years, we ultimately got him back because of the chip," Monarrez said.
Organizations across the valley, including The Animal Foundation, offer microchipping services. And according to a new City of Las Vegas ordinance, all dogs and cats over the age of 4 months will be required to have a microchip starting Aug. 1.
