A Brooklyn couple was reunited with their lost dog last month, nearly a year after the pooch was hit by a car and dragged off underneath the vehicle.
Animal Care & Control of NYC says that that it was able to get the young lab mix, named Phife, back to his owners, Matthew Dublin and Kendall Layrock, after the dog was brought to the shelter in September. Staff members at the animal control center scanned the microchip embedded in the pup’s skin and matched it to the couple, who had adopted the dog from a rescue in 2013.
Dublin and Layrock told animal control that they were playing with Phife in a park about two months after he was adopted when the dog ran out into the street and was hit by a car. The car left the scene, dragging the dog underneath.
The couple searched fruitlessly for Phife for weeks, canvassing the neighborhood, checking online boards and calling shelters. Eventually, they called off their search and adopted another dog, which they named Buggy.
Dublin said it was “incredibly surreal” to be reunited with Phife. He said that the dog gets along with Buggy and licks and cuddles with his owners whenever he gets the chance.
“We have no idea where he's been for the last 10 months, but we couldn't be happier he's back with us and he seems to feel the same,” he said.
Animal Care & Control says it microchips every cat and dog it receives. So far this year, microchips have helped the organization reunite 1,370 lost pets with their owners.
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“Microchipping your pet, and keeping your contact information current, is critical,” said Risa Weinstock, the organization's executive director. “We’re thrilled for Phife and his family, and hope their story will encourage more New Yorkers to microchip their companion animals.”
