Sir Cocoa, chocolate lab

After 18 months, missing Staten Island dog, owner reunited thanks to microchip
By Virginia N Sherry/Staten Island Advance
on May 27, 2013

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- When Sir Cocoa, a friendly chocolate Labrador retriever, escaped from his yard on Nov. 16, 2011, owner Ralph Vega unsuccessfully searched for him. He canvassed the community and plastered the neighborhood with flyers, hoping that the beloved male would be returned quickly, especially because the dog had an identifying microchip.

Sir Cocoa, a chocolate Labrador retriever missing since 2011, was reunited with his owner, Ralph Vega, at Bay Street Animal Hospital on May 6.  "He started licking me, and then lay down to get his belly rubbed. He was happy!" said Vega.

Months passed, however, with no word or sightings.

"Every time I saw a chocolate Lab, I had to stop, go up to the dog (and greet it), to be sure it wasn't mine," said Vega. "I notified shelters, vets, and hospitals, and called the police to find out about dogs hit by cars. I called the microchip company, did an Amber pet alert. We did everything."

Vega bought Sir Cocoa as a puppy at a pet store on Staten Island in 2004, already microchipped.

"He was very intelligent, lovable, and protective of the kids," he noted. "He was friendly with everybody, even other dogs, and if you scratched his back he'd stay there forever. He would kiss anyone."

FOUND
Earlier this month, on May 6, two women walked in to Bay Street Animal Hospital in Rosebank with a chocolate Labrador male that they said they found near Bayley Seton Hospital in Clifton, reported team leader Cheryl Augustyne, a Rosebank resident who has worked at the animal hospital for 10 years.

In such circumstances, "we automatically wand the dog," to check for a microchip, she said.

That's how the hospital identified and reached out to Vega. "His (voice) mailbox was full, so I sent him a  We found Sir Cocoa," Ms. Augustyne said.

"I was in shock, but I knew it had to be him," Vega said.

He drove to the hospital for what was a most happy reunion.

Sir Cocoa "started licking me, and then lay down to get his belly rubbed, something he really likes, said Vega. "He was happy, and I was in tears."

On his first night home after the lengthy absence, Sir Cocoa went to his usual place. "On the carpet, next to the bed, on the left-hand side," said Vega.

"He's been gone for one-and-a-half years, and I got him back because of the chip," Vega commented. "If you love your dog, get a chip."

Eighteen months after the dog went missing, Vega never completely gave up hope: "I kept saying that I knew he was still alive."

Source: http://www.silive.com/northshore/index.ssf/2013/05/staten_island_dog_lost_and_fou.html

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