Ed Lighthall of Chicago never expected to see his poodle mix, Pete, again after the pup vanished from his backyard a decade ago. At the time, Lighthall feared Pete had been stolen.
Ten years later, microchip technology made the impossible happen — Pete and his owner are finally back together.
“I would tell people how much I missed him and how much it would mean if he ever came back,” Lighthall told NBC Chicago during a Sept. 26 interview, reflecting on the years his dog was gone.
Pete was discovered about 20 miles from where he disappeared. He was spotted running loose on a busy street in Hammond, Indiana, prompting animal control officers to step in.
“The dog was running loose, right here on this very busy corner, and was picked up, [and] brought to our establishment,” said Laney Bunner of Hammond Animal Control. She noted that Pete was still wearing a collar and tags when he was found.
Although Pete had been living with another owner, Bunner explained that person declined to take him back. That led her to check Pete’s microchip through 24/7 Pet Watch, which ultimately connected her to Lighthall. She called the reunion “incredible” and described Lighthall as a “wonderful man.”
“He was ecstatic because his dog had been missing for 10 years,” Bunner said. “It’s the longest I have ever heard of.”
Now back together, Lighthall and Pete are adjusting to life after such a long separation.
“He is a lot older than when I last saw him … but it’s like yesterday,” Lighthall said. “It’s as if we picked up where we left off. I’m happy. He’s happy. Everyone who hears this story is happy. I’m so thankful to those folks at animal control. They got me my dog back.”
The Chicago man added that the reunion still feels surreal: “This is unbelievable. I would tell people how much I missed him and how much it would mean if he ever came back. There are no words. I am filled with gratitude right now.”
Last month, a Florida family experienced a similar miracle when they were reunited with their German shepherd after six years, thanks to firefighters who rescued the dog from a canal. According to Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue, the dog, Bella, had originally been adopted from Broward Animal Care and Adoption but was lost after her family was displaced by a house fire.
“Hugging Bella again felt like our family was made whole again — like being reunited with a long-lost friend,” her owner Lisa Nicholson told PEOPLE.
