A pet Chihuahua named Gizmo is back home in Las Vegas — nine years after he was dognapped by a heartless stranger, according to reports.
Judith Monarrez said the tiny pup was just 2 years old when he ran off with the family’s two other dogs and was picked up by a woman who promised to take him to the vet — then disappeared.
Last week, Monarrez told KTNV-TV that she got a call that Gizmo was identified through his microchip.
“I broke down in tears,” she told the outlet. “I knew immediately it was him. I can’t forget those yellow amber eyes. I can’t forget them, ever — they’re Gizmo.”
The Chihuahua got out of the Vegas home on Feb. 3, 2015.
A neighbor was able to grab the family’s other pets, but not Gizmo, who was picked up by a stranger.
“She picked him up, told my neighbor she was going to get him checked for his chip and it never happened,” Monnarrez said. “For years I posted. I mean, after his disappearance I posted tons of fliers. I reached out to Facebook groups.
“It was horrible,” she added. “It was heartbreaking. It makes you lose faith in humanity.”
But on July 17, the company that registered the microchip implant in Gizmo called out of the blue after the now-11-year-old pup was dropped off at the Animal Emergency Center in Henderson, Nevada.
“When I called they were like, ‘We have him. It’s him!’”
Gizmo was a bit beaten up from the years-long ordeal, but is expected to recover.
“He was severely matted,” Monarrez said. “He’s missing a lot of teeth. They told us that he had teeth falling out of his mouth when they dropped him off.
“Severe dental disease, periodontal disease,” she said. “He had a horrible eye infection.”
Still, he’s expected to recover, thanks in part to a Gofundme.com page that has raised more than $5,300 so far to cover Gizmo’s mounting vet costs, KTNV reported.