Nov 23, 2008 11:36 pm US/Eastern
PITTSBURGH (CBS) ― After going missing from New Jersey five years ago, Tootsie was located in Wilkinsburg, Pa. and is about to be reunited with his family.
He was missing for five years and his family figured they'd never see him again, but on Monday, a little, lost dog will be reunited with his owners who live more than 350 miles away. When he was only 6-months-old, Tootsie disappeared from his family's gated yard in New Jersey. His family was heartbroken, but two weeks ago the dachshund was brought to the Animal Rescue League.
"Tootsie was found running as a stray in Wilkinsburg, Pa.," said Tifanie Tiberio, of the Animal Rescue League. All animals brought to the Rescue League are scanned for an implanted microchip and when Tootsie was scanned, it turns out that she had one.
Unfortunately, the shelter didn't get a response when they called the number on file. But that didn't stop them, they sent a letter to the dog's owner a few days later and they got a response.
"They didn't even put two and two together at first that we were talking about Tootsie until they asked us, 'Does the dog have a sixth toe on his back leg?' and We said, 'Yes,' and they said, 'Yeah, that's Tootsie, that's our dog.'" said Tiberio.
How Tootsie got to Pittsburgh remains a mystery, but that doesn't matter to employees at the Animal Rescue League, but they said they are excited to be a part of a reunion five years in the making.
"We are honored as representatives of the animal world here at the Animal Rescue League to be able to reunite this lost animal with his owners," Tiberio added. The family says they're grateful to the Animal Rescue League for finding the dog they will be reunited tomorrow in Harrisburg.
Local Coverage From KDKA-TV
http://wcbstv.com/watercooler/Tootsie.found.reunited.2.872056.html
Another version of the story -
Dog Reunited with Family 5 Years Later
reporter: Cara Moore; posted by: Bryan Peach
posted 6:21 pm Mon November 24, 2008
Harrisburg, Pa. - If Tootsie could talk, what a tale he'd tell.
Stolen as a puppy from the comfort of his yard in Pleasantville, New Jersey, Tootsie's family thought they'd never see him again.
"We just kind of gave up a month and a half later," says 18-year-old Edna Marie Colon. But Tootsie's family was in for a big surprise.
Five years later, they got a message from the Animal Rescue League of Western Pennsylvania. Tootsie was found - wandering the streets of Pittsburgh.
"As is the case with all animals, we scan for a microchip," said League spokesperson Tifanie Tiberio. "A microchip number was found and the address and phone number came back to a family in New Jersey."
At first, the family couldn't believe it. Could it really be their little daschund, Tootsie, some 360 miles away?
"They said, 'Does it have an extra toe on its back foot?,' and we said 'Yeah, it does,' and they said, 'That's tootsie, that's our dog,'" recalls Tiberio.
So they decided to meet halfway in Harrisburg, about three hours away from Tootsie's home in New Jersey, for the special reunion.
"It's something that very rarely, if ever, happens," Tiberio says of a reunion like this. "All of my research I've done, and talking to the National Lost Dog Registry, this is a one-in-a-million kind of thing."
Elba Arguello calls Tootsie her baby, and couldn't believe her eyes when she finally saw him.
"I'm gonna buy a sweater for him - for Christmas and Thanksgiving," Arguello said with a smile.
No one knows where Tootsie's been, or how he ended up in Western Pennsylvania. All that matters now is where Tootsie is going - and that's finally back home.
"There's a lot of people waiting for him in Pleasantville," said Arguello.
Source: http://www.whtm.com/news/stories/1108/572599.html
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