Dog missing for 12 years reunited with Chicago family

It’s a story straight out of Hollywood for a suburban Evanston woman, as she was reunited with a dog missing for a staggering 12 years. Vanessa Antonino lost her beloved dog Flor 12 years ago on the north side of Chicago, but this week, an incredible reunion took place as a volunteer organization was able to bring a long-running mystery to an end. Antonino told NBC Chicago she went to work like normal on that fateful day 12 years ago, and when she returned, Flor was gone. “There was a time in my life when I wasn’t put together. I was from place to place, living in my car, staying in my car, and Flor was there with me through everything,” she said. “And one day, I just went to work. I left her in the car like always, and when I came back out, she was gone.” At the time, Flor was 4 years old, and Antonino said she’s thought about the dog every day since. “I had not fully given up on her, but it’s just like ‘so many years had passed,’ and I was like ‘I don’t think I’ll ever see her again,’” she said. In those intervening 12 years, Antonino had four children, and she would frequently show the kids Flor’s picture, describing her as their big sister. Then, in a staggering stroke of fortune, there was a break in the mystery. According to officials at the Evanston Animal Shelter, Flor was found recently in Gary, Indiana, after devastating severe weather tore through the region. “There was a lady from Louisiana who was helping with the storm damage in Indiana, and she actually found Flor near some roads, and so she was obviously scared she was going to get hit,” volunteer Gillian Primavera said. After she was rescued, Flor ended up at Griffith Animal Control, and that’s when Microchip Hunters came into the picture. The organization researches what are known as “dead-end” microchips, which are difficult to trace back to their source or have outdated contact information from the owner, according to Jeanette Garlow, the co-Director of Lost Dogs Illinois. Garlow said in Flor’s case, the phone number associated with her microchip was not current. A volunteer from the Evanston Animal Shelter transported the pup from Illinois to Evanston, and the happy reunion was like a dream for Antonino. “I went and saw her. I just bawled,” she said. “I broke down completely. She was back with me. A piece of my heart was back with me.” Garlow said the story is a worthwhile reminder to microchip all pets, and to keep contact information current, because a reunion can still be possible, even a decade later. “Accidents happen, and once a pet is missing, it is too late to have them microchipped,” Garlow said.