A Chicago man was reunited with his beloved family dog 10 years after the canine’s disappearance, thanks to a microchip and an animal shelter in Indiana.
Edmon Lighthall, 51, said his poodle-doodle mix, Peter, escaped from his family’s home a decade ago, and the family eventually assumed he had been brought into someone else’s home — but Lighthall never gave up hope.
“I’d say, ‘I think if he’s alive, I’m sure that I’ll see him again,'” Lighthall told ABC’s Good Morning America. “I’d say things like that and people would laugh and kind of just go along with me.”
Lighthall’s prediction came true when he received a phone call Sept. 22 from a pet microchip registration company, revealing Pete had been found in Hammond, Ind.
“I immediately called the number, and I got in touch with Laney from Hammond Animal Control, and she explained to me that the police found Pete walking down the street,” Lighthall said.
He traveled to Hammond the next day to bring Pete home.
Lighthall said he threw a “welcome home” party for the long-lost pet.
“We went to the park, we did a picnic, we introduced him to his sister [dog] and a couple of other pooches from different family and friends,” Lighthall said. “It was just a great experience.”
He said Pete is settling in nicely back at home.
“It is like we picked up where we left off. I’m happy. He is happy. Everyone who hears this story is happy. I am so thankful to those folks at animal control. They got me my dog back,” Lighthall told NBC Chicago.
