A single email popped up and thirty-seven Judith Monarrez got the news she never expected to receive — her long-lost dog, Gizmo, had been found.
On February 3rd, 2015 Gizmo, then two years old, was out in the backyard with her family’s two other dogs, when an unknown person entered through the unsecured gate and took off with Gizmo. Nine years after that incident on a sweltering July day, Judith’s grief would open up again, feeling the pain and violation from the crime.
Whether Gizmo spent all of those years on the street in the intense Las Vegas heat or he was kept in the home of the person who napped him is unknown. Yet, after nine years, he was dropped off by a women (if it was the same person who took him, is unknown) and taken in by an emergency animal hospital ten miles away from the Monarrez home. Some assumed that the person dropped the stolen dog at the hospital after he was starting to have medical problems, but it is hard to know the full story and what transpired during that long absence. After an examination, the hospital found that he was microchipped and scanned it, which automatically sent Judith Monarrez the email she had been wanting for all of those years.
Judith never wanted to give up hope, making a Facebook page for Gizmo, hoping to find more information about the person who took him. Before going to the hospital, Judith didn’t know what to expect and even upon seeing him, he didn’t look like the same dog. However, when Judith looked into his eyes, she knew it was Gizmo. The either long or brief stint in the elements and in the absence of living with Judith had done a number on the small eight-pound dog. He walked with a limp, had advanced-stage periodontal disease with his teeth falling out of his mouth, and had severe eye infections. His matted, presumed flea-ridden fur had to be shaved down completely, leaving him patchy and shaking in the blanket his owner wrapped him in during the interview.
The thousands of dollars of needed medical bills led the Monarrez family to start a GoFundMe page to ask the community to donate money to help pay for the current and future treatments. With the news exposure, the $4,000 goal was reached, and Judith and her family can get him the medical care he needs.
Despite the stress and anger over the situation, Judith is so happy and relieved to have Gizmo back in her arms and in her care. She counts her blessings and is relieved she had microchipped her dog and registered the chip. Judith emphasizes people to microchip their dog and says if it wasn’t for that, she wouldn’t have been able to reunite with Gizmo.