A family in New York City was surprised to find their stolen dog at an Animal Care Center (ACC) adoption event in early June of 2023.
Mocha, a 3-year-old Pit Bull mix, was stolen in January when its owners were on a week-long vacation.
After months of searching, the family finally decided to adopt a new furry member to help ease the pain of losing their beloved dog.
To their surprise, the ACC adoption event was their ticket to finally reunite with their long-lost family dog.
“I turned around and was like oh that looks like Mocha,” Jenny recalled in an interview with Eyewitness News ABC7NY.
“And when he [the husband] turned around, that is Mocha!“
The ACC team found the missing dog tied up on a post in May on New Lots Avenue in Brooklyn and named it Sandy.
Almost immediately, the shelter knew Sandy was a family dog because of its loving temperament.
The owner, Jenny, recalls how devastated the family was when they found out that Mocha was missing as soon as they got home.
Unfortunately, they didn’t hear anything from Mocha’s dogsitter from then on.
“My husband looked up the [dogsitter’s] address. It was an address of a store.”
Director of Communications at ACC, Katy Hansen, reminds pet owners that “your local shelter is the first place you should look when your pet goes missing.”
“Since we are the only rescue organization mandated to take in all stray animals, if your pet goes missing in NYC, they have probably been brought into us. In 2022 ACC reunited 622 dogs with their families.“