NewsCitrus, Hernando County

Actions

Therapy dog stolen from Las Vegas family found wandering in Citrus County one year later

Posted at 7:52 PM, Dec 05, 2017
and last updated 2017-12-05 19:52:12-05

CITRUS COUNTY, Fla. — It's an early Christmas wish come true for a family in Las Vegas, and that’s all thanks to "Citrus County Animal Services" and "Wings of Rescue." 

Found as a stray running around in Citrus County, a three-year-old collie mix was brought to Citrus County Animal Services, that’s when workers found out that she was actually reported stolen a year ago in Las Vegas, NV.

"Through her microchip we were able to track down her owner," said Colleen Yarbrough, Operations Manager for Citrus County Animal Services.

But to their shock, the owner didn’t live in Citrus County, or even in the state of Florida.

Owner, Annette Graziano, lives in Las Vegas and says her dog "Amy" was training to be a therapy dog for her son who has autism. But someone stole Amy last year.

"When I got that call I was so over joyed, I had just about given up hope," Graziano said.

Yarbrough said, "I think sometimes the worst is not knowing or not having any idea what happened to an animal but then to have that answered when you thought you’d never see them again, that’s huge."

And though its not clear how she ended up in Citrus County, on Wednesday morning, Wings of Rescue is volunteering to fly Amy back home to be reunited with her family in Vegas.