When a man found a black Lab mix on his front porch in Lower Burrell, Pennsylvania, he brought her to Animal Protectors of Allegheny Valley, hopeful they would be able to find her owners. And because the dog was microchipped, they found her owner, living about 10 miles away.
When they reached Debra Suierveld to tell her that her dog Abby had been located, she was shocked. She explained to the shelter that Abby had been missing for 10 years after disappearing one day while she was outside playing with her kids. But thanks to the microchip, this long lost pup is back with her owner once again.
The lady who works at the shelter says "Abby is a very sweet and friendly dog, so at first it was hard to tell if she recognized her owner, or if she was just being her sweet self. However, over the time the owner was here, Abby continued to move closer to her, sitting on her feet and leaning into her, so I do think her memory was coming back to her. She also remembered her name."
Abby is in very good health for her age, so shelter workers think someone must have been taking care of her. But it's likely they didn't think to ask a vet to scan her to see if she had a previous owner.
Suierveld called her 22-year-old daughter, who is a student at Miami University, in Oxford, Ohio, to share the news.
“She cried,” Suierveld told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Suierveld’s family has planned a reunion dinner on Sunday to welcome Abby back.
“It feels like a part of my kids’ childhood is back, part of our family is back,” Suierveld said. “It’s pretty awesome.”