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A pet chihuahua named “Gizmo” is back home in Las Vegas — nine years after he was dognapped by a heartless stranger, according to reports.
Judith Monarrez said the tiny pup was just 2 years old when he ran off with the family’s two other dogs and was picked up by a woman who promised to take him to the vet — then disappeared.
Last week, Monarrez told KTNV-TV that she got a call that Gizmo was identified through his microchip.
“I broke down in tears,” she told the outlet. “I knew immediately it was him. I can’t forget those yello amber eyes. I can’t forget them, ever — they’re Gizmo.”
The chihuahua got out of the Vegas home on Feb. 3, 2015.
A neighbor was able to grab the family’s other pets, but not Gizmo, who was picked up by a stranger.
“She picked him up, told my neighbor she was going to get him checked for his chip and it never happened,” Monnarrez said. “For years I posted. I mean, after his disappearance I posted tons of fliers. I reached out to Facebook groups.
“It was horrible,” she added. “It was heartbreaking . It makes you lose faith in humanity.”
But on July 17, the company that registered the microchip implant in Gizmo called out of the blue after the now-11-year-old pup was dropped off at the Animal Emergency Center in Henderson, Nevada.
“When I called they were like, ‘We have him. It’s him!”
Gizmo was a bit beaten up from the years-long ordeal, but expected to recover.
“He was severely matted,” 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,” she said. “He had a horrible eye infection.”
Still, he’s expected to recover, thanks in part to a gofundme.com page that has raised more than $5,300 so far to cover Gizmo’s mounting vet costs, KTNV reported.
