Dog Stolen 11 Years Ago Reunites with Overjoyed Family

A dog stolen 11 years ago from his home gave his family a welcome shock.

A few months ago, Michelle Carlos, Animal Control Officer with Stoughton Police Department in Massachusetts, spotted a tiny Yorkshire Terrier running loose on the street. She picked him up and brought him back to the shelter for care.

“Animal Control Officer (ACO) Michelle Carlos responded to a loose Yorkie running on Record Street,” the post read. “The Yorkie had not been taken care of. ACO Carlos fed him, gave him some fresh water and a good bath. She then checked for a microchip and it revealed his name is Rex, he is 12 years old and belonged to a woman named Marzena out of Boston.”

Although Rex’s owner, Marzena Niejadlik, no longer lived in Boston, her phone number was the same. Needless to say, when ACO Carlos called Marzena to tell her that she had Rex, Marzena was shocked.

“She was just overjoyed and in disbelief that I had her dog,” Carlos told WBTS.

Marzena told WBTS that she always hoped to find Rex. “We were really hoping that would, one day, happen, and finally, it did,” she said. But she admits that with each successive year he was missing, she had her doubts. “It’s hard to believe. You eventually have less and less hope with every year.”

Marzena had gotten Rex as a puppy after her brother had died. “It was sudden and unexpected, a huge tragedy. We were all devastated, and I kind of was thinking that maybe getting a dog, and especially a Yorkie, will maybe bring some cheer into our family.”

But shortly after, Rex ran outside and was stolen and although they searched for him, they could not find their beloved pup and the years past by.

Now, Rex returns in their time of need again, Marzena said. She told WCVB Channel 5 that she recently lost her other brother but Rex has returned to comfort them once again. And Rex will have new family members he has never met who will love him dearly – Marzena’s children.