Dog lost in Las Vegas nearly 10 years ago is found: 'Rough shape'

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A Las Vegas woman is rejoicing that her dog is safely back home nearly a decade after he first disappeared.

Judith Monarrez, 37, was 28 years old when her 2-year-old Chihuahua mix named Gizmo slipped out of her backyard on Feb. 3, 2015, as the Associated Press reported.

A Facebook page set up to find the dog said that someone spotted Gizmo being put into a "reddish car" — but after that, he was simply nowhere to be found.

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That is, until July 17, 2024, when Monarrez received the email she had been waiting for all these years: Someone had found Gizmo. 

The dog had been recovered in Henderson, Nevada, and dropped off at an emergency veterinarian's office. 

Gizmo, shown here, was finally recovered on July 17, 2024, more than nine years after he disappeared.  (Judith Monarrez via AP)

At the vet, his microchip was scanned, and the microchip alerted Monarrez that her precious pup had been found. 

"He was dropped off by a woman at the Animal Emergency Center in Henderson," wrote Monarrez on the "Bring Gizmo Home" Facebook page. 

"They told us that the woman said they had been 'trying to catch him for two months,' but he was severely matted, and his nails were overgrown and curled," she wrote. 

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At the time, Gizmo was having trouble standing and walking, Monarrez said. He also might have fractures in his neck, she wrote on Facebook.

With the pair finally reunited, Monarrez told the Associated Press it was "a miracle" her dog was back home and she was "so glad [she] registered his microchip." 

Gizmo disappeared from Las Vegas in 2015 and was dropped off at an emergency vet's office in nearby Henderson more than nine years later. (iStock)

"Even though he looked so different, when I looked in his eyes I knew immediately it was Gizmo," Monarrez told the Associated Press. 

"And as soon as I said his name, he tilted his head and he didn't stop staring at me."

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Gizmo's time away from Monarrez was not an easy one. 

A GoFundMe page started by Monnarrez states that her dog was found in "very rough shape" with "multiple infections" and dental disease. 

"I don't know what Gizmo went through all these years separated from us."

"We are all a little shocked at his condition. I don't know what Gizmo went through all these years separated from us, but I'm so happy he's home now and we can help him heal," Monarrez wrote on the GoFundMe page, which has raised more than double its $4,000 goal. 

In a July 23 update, Monarrez wrote that Gizmo is on the road to recovery and is doing well. 

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"He has been getting his footing around the house and has been cuddling up to his big brother Benji," she wrote. "He's found his voice and we heard him bark at the doorbell for the first time since he's been home."

"His eye infection seems to be responding well to medications."

What's more, "his eye infection seems to be responding well to the medications he was put on and he'll be going to a follow-up in a week," she said.  

But for now, Monarrez and her parents told the Associated Press they will be "showering [Gizmo] with all the love that we were holding onto for all those years." 

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Fox News Digital reached out to Monarrez for any additional updates about Gizmo's recovery.

Microchips are inserted under the pet's skin and are activated when they are scanned at a vet's office.  (iStock)

As of Aug. 1, all cats and dogs in Las Vegas older than 4 months old must have a microchip, the AP reported. 

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"A microchip is a small, electronic chip enclosed in a glass cylinder that is about the same size as a grain of rice," the American Veterinary Medical Association's website said. 

Microchips in pets are activated when they are scanned, and do not have a battery, they said. They contain information about the pet's owner and contact information. 

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Failing to microchip a pet in Las Vegas "will result in a misdemeanor and upon conviction may be punished by a fine of up to $1,000, imprisonment of up to six months or a combination of both," the city of Las Vegas said on its website. 

The Associated Press contributed reporting.