Chicago Man’s Dog Returned to Him 10 Years after Pup Went Missing from Yard

A man and his dog are reunited after the canine went missing 10 years ago. 

Ed Lighthall of Chicago likely never thought he’d see his poodle mix Pete again after the puppy went missing from his backyard a decade ago. At the time, the dog owner thought the pup had been stolen. 

Now, thanks to microchip technology, Pete and Lighthall are now back together again.

“I would tell people how much I missed him and how much it would mean if he ever came back,” Lighthall told NBC Chicago in a Sept. 26 televised interview, sharing how he felt during the years Pete was gone. 

Pete was found approximately 20 miles away from where Lighthall last saw him. 

Lighthall’s missing pet was spotted running near a street in Hammond, Ind., when animal control was called to assist. 

“The dog was running loose, right here on this very busy corner, and was picked up, [and] brought to our establishment,” said Laney Bunner of Hammond Animal Control, who added that Pete was “wearing a collar and tags” when he was found.

Despite being safely rescued, Bunner told the news station that when Pete’s most recent owner was contacted, they made it clear that they no longer wanted him. 

According to Bunner, she’d also contacted 24/7 Pet Watch, the company linked to Pete’s microchip, which is how she was able to track down Lighthall, whom she called a “wonderful man.”

“He was ecstatic because his dog had been missing for 10 years,” the Hammond Animal Control staff member said. “It’s the longest I have ever heard of.”

Lighthall is beyond thankful to have Pete back, and said that he and his beloved pup are still adjusting to life together again after so much time apart.

“He is a lot older than when I last saw him … but it’s like yesterday,” Lighthall said during his interview. “It is like we picked up where we left off. I’m happy. He is happy. Everyone who hears this story is happy. I am so thankful to those folks at animal control. They got me my dog back.”

The dog owner adds that he’s “still on a cloud” that he and Pete were reunited after all their years apart.

“This is unbelievable,” Lighthall said. “I would tell people how much I missed him and how much it would mean if he ever came back. There are no words. I am filled with gratitude right now.”

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Just last month, a family in Florida was reunited with their German shepherd after six years, thanks to a team of firefighters who happened to rescue the dog, who had fallen into a canal. 

“After searching several databases, they were able to find out that she had been adopted from Broward Animal Care and Adoption,” Frank Guzman, Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue’s public information officer, told PEOPLE in August.

“[The family says] that a couple of years after adopting Bella, they suffered a house fire and had to move into a hotel. Unable to bring the German shepherd, they gave her to a friend who, without permission, gave her away to an unknown person,” he added.

Following the rescue, her owner Lisa Nicholson, told PEOPLE, “Hugging Bella again felt like our family was made whole again — like being reunited with a long-lost friend.”