A dog that disappeared in Florida 18 months ago has remarkably been found safe 1,000 miles away in New York.
The German shepherd-Jack Russell Terrier mix named Relay was brought into a Long Island and New York City animal rescue group by a woman last week.
The group, Bobbi and The Strays, managed to trace the dog’s microchip and tracked down his astonished family in West Palm Beach, Florida.
The German shepherd-Jack Russell Terrier mix named Relay was brought into a New York animal rescue shelter last week after going missing from Florida in February 2016
‘I had said many times, ‘They’re going to find that dog. They may not find that dog alive, but somehow, some way, they’re going to find the chip on that dog and they’re going to be calling us’,’ Rick Moneck said.
Nonetheless, the news came as quite the shock – especially given the family were dealing with Hurricane Irma.
‘I never, ever expected – you know, we kind of gave up on it,’ Moneck said. ‘After this much time had gone by, you just move on with your life.’
Moneck told Newsday, which first reported the story, that his family adopted the ‘beautiful’ and ‘well-behaved’ dog as a puppy in 2014.
One day, Relay set off to explore.
‘I think she’s a wanderer,’ Moneck said. ‘I think she was just an opportunist dog and happened to see that she could fit underneath the gate.’
The family scoured the area for hours and put up fliers.
‘The lady in the gas station said she saw a man call the dog over and walk away with the dog,’ Moneck said.
A blurry surveillance video appeared to show a man putting Relay into his car.
Moneck said that in addition to the chip, Relay had left home wearing ‘a brand new collar, a leather collar, with her name in brass’ – and his son’s name, address and phone number.
However the dog got to New York, it’s about to experience some more mileage.
Bobbi and The Strays has been looking for a volunteer to drive Relay to Florida.
Moneck told Newsday it’s ‘unbelievable’ that his family will be reunited with the ‘dog that we loved so much.’