CHICAGO — A bit of good news, just when you think everything’s gone to the dogs: Missing for almost four years, Chiquito the Chihuahua has been reunited with his family.
Chiquito went missing on June 16 of 2012, said his owner Gloria Martinez.
“It was just devastating for all of us, especially my daughter, it’s her dog and she was really sad,” Martinez said.
That is until last night, when he was spotted by a couple of good Samaritans near the corner 126th Street and South Michigan Ave.
They flagged down officers Eric Taylor and Nicholas Spacek, and you could say they made the collar. They’re not a k-9 unit, but the officers brought the dog back to the station to sniff out the situation.
“We decided that this is what we need to do, we work for the citizens, we work for the community, we want to ensure safety for all citizens – and dogs and pets,” Taylor said.
They decided to check Chiquito for microchip with identity information. They took him to the Animal Welfare League in Chicago Ridge and found the hound did indeed have a microchip, which showed its owners’ address.
The officers contacted the Martinez family and offered to host the reunion at the police station.
“It’s amazing, you hear so many bad things about the police, nowadays but they’re not true, so thank you, you made our family happy again,” Gloria said.
There’s really no bone of contention about this: it’s a good idea to get your pets a microchip, just in case they end up missing. Of course Chiquito was in police custody for a short time, but he learned something, too: never bite the hand that frees you.
