A New York woman reunited with her dog five years after the animal went missing during her cancer treatment – and was stunned when she discovered that the pup made it all the way to Tennessee.
Jen Costa was devastated when her English Bulldog, named Azzurra Diamante, disappeared from her car at a gas station in Nassau County, Long Island, in 2017 – while she was in the midst of getting treated for cancer.
Somehow, the dog traveled halfway around the country – to Henderson, Tennessee – where it was eventually found by a woman named Abbie Bayless.
After Abbie got in contact with a local shelter, they used Azzurra’s microchip to find out where she came from and contacted Jen – who drove 1,000 miles to reunite with her long lost pet in what felt like a ‘movie’ scene.
‘It’s like she took up right where she left off. She stood up on the front seat and was ready to go, just like she used to,’ she told Newsweek.
A New York woman reunited with her dog five years after she went missing – and was stunned when she discovered that the pup made it all the way to Tennessee
Jen Costa was devastated when her English Bulldog, named Azzurra Diamante (pictured left as a puppy), disappeared from her car at a gas station in Nassau County, Long Island, in 2017
Somehow, the dog (pictured right as a puppy) traveled halfway around the country – to Henderson, Tennessee – where it was eventually found by a woman named Abbie Bayless
‘This has just been crazy,’ Abbie, who found Azzurra, told the Jackson Sun. ‘I had just moved in with my roommate – literally days before – when Azzurra showed up at our front door.
‘We opened the front door and she just walked right in like she lived there.’
The dog, who had been living on the streets for five years, wasn’t in the best condition, and Abbie wanted to help it.
‘My entire life I’ve rescued animals – if I see an animal I feel like I have to take care of it, at least until I can find it a good place to go,’ she said.
‘She wasn’t in the best condition, but we tried to nurse her back to health and got her some medicine and stuff.’
Based off of the dog’s sweet demeanor, Abbie could tell right away that the animal had previously belonged to someone, and she was determined to reunite Azzurra with her owner.
She continued: ‘It’s crazy, now knowing everything she’s been through, and how well travelled she is; because she was so gentle and mild mannered, and just the sweetest girl ever.
After Abbie got in contact with a local shelter, they used Azzurra’s microchip to find Jen – who drove 1,000 miles to reunite with her long lost pet. They are pictured after the reunion
She said their reunion felt like it was out of a ‘movie’ scene, and that their relationship picked right back up right where it left off
‘And we could definitely tell that somebody was missing her – we just didn’t realize that that somebody was in New York!’
After Abby took Azzurra in, she involved the Henderson Animal Control, which noticed that the dog had been microchipped. That’s house they discovered that Azzurra had miraculously made her way to Tennessee all the way from New York.
Henderson Animal Control sent an email to Jen, who was ‘dumbfounded’ when she heard the news.
‘I was sitting the other day and got an email that said, “Your pet has been found.” I thought I was seeing things, honestly,’ she recalled.
‘I figured it was a mistake. It was a confusing emotion – I was just dumbfounded.’
Jen then called Henderson Animal Control, who confirmed that they did indeed have her beloved pet in their custody.
‘At first it sounded like they were confused. I thought maybe it was a mistake,’ she continued.
‘And then they were like, “Yeah, we have a dog here,” and that was when they confirmed it was really happening.
Jen became bedridden after she was hit by a bus at 19 years old. After the accident, she struggled with depression and drug addiction, and grew to weigh almost 700 pounds
In 2016, she was told that she had stage four oral cancer that began in her tongue and had spread to her neck. They surgically removed her tongue, and she was cured
She then decided to turn her life around and lost 500 pounds. She is pictured before (left) and after (right) her weight loss
‘I was like, “Are you kidding me?” I was so happy. And I didn’t even realize it was in Tennessee, until I called them, and they asked where I was located.
‘I was like, “New York?” And they’re like, “We’re in Tennessee…” I was so confused. I’d never even heard of this town before.’
Jen made the 16-hour drive from New York to Tennessee to pick up the dog, and she said their relationship picked right back up right where it left off.
She told Newsweek: ‘When she turned around, I think she realized who I was, because she kept giving me her paw and kissing my face.
‘I had thought I would never see her again, so it was like I was dreaming. It felt like something out of a movie.’
Jen became bedridden after she was hit by a bus at 19 years old. After the accident, she struggled with depression and drug addiction, and grew to weigh almost 700 pounds.
Jen adopted Azzurra when she was just an eight-week-old puppy – right before her cancer diagnosis
In 2016, she was told that she had stage four oral cancer that began in her tongue and had spread to her neck.
They surgically removed her tongue, and after she was cured, she decided to turn her life around.
‘I ended up losing over 500 pounds over the next few years,’ she said.
‘Sometimes I realize that God allows your heart to be broken so new light shines in and drives out the darkness.
‘And I feel like that’s what happened with me. I could be miserable right now but I’m not. I’m so grateful that I’m still here.’
Jen adopted Azzurra when she was just an eight-week-old puppy – right before her cancer diagnosis.
After she went missing, she said she put up flyers and called the police, animal shelters, and vets – but everything was a ‘dead end.’
‘We drove around looking for weeks, but I had a tracheotomy tube in my neck at the time from my cancer surgery, so I couldn’t even talk,’ she shared.
After Azzurra went missing, Jen said she put up flyers and called the police, animal shelters, and vets – but everything was a ‘dead end.’ She is pictured as a child with her family dog
Now that they are together again, Jen – who lives with her elderly grandmother – is staying in Tennessee with Azzurra while she tries to raise enough money to buy her own place
‘My friend had to ask people if they had seen Azzurra and show them a picture of her, but nobody knew anything, not even the people at the gas station. So that was it.
‘It’s not that I stopped thinking about it, but at that point I felt that if someone found her and wanted to return her they would, and if they didn’t, there was nothing I could do.’
Now that they are together again, Jen is staying in Tennessee with Azzurra while she tries to get enough money to buy her own place.
She recently started a GoFundMe page, and has raised nearly $2,000 so far.
‘I’m also trying to raise money so that I can get my own place as I cannot bring Azzurra back home to Queens,’ she told Patch.
‘I live with my elderly grandma and it’s just too much for her to have two dogs in the house.
‘So unfortunately that’s another reason why I haven’t come back home yet, [I’m] trying to figure things out.’
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