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

Ed Lighthall, a resident of Chicago, probably never imagined he would ever see his poodle–mix, Pete, again after the dog vanished from his backyard a decade ago. At the time, Lighthall assumed Pete had been stolen. Now, thanks to microchip technology and a bit of luck, Pete and Lighthall have been reunited. 

“I used to tell people how much I missed him, how much it would mean if he ever came back,” Lighthall said in a televised interview with NBC Chicago on September 26, describing the emotional years of uncertainty. 

Discovery and reunion

Pete was located roughly 20 miles away from the last place Lighthall had seen him. The dog was observed running along a street in Hammond, Indiana, where local animal control officers were summoned to assist. 

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

Even though the dog was safely rescued, the person who was caring for him just before the rescue declined to reclaim Pete. Bunner then contacted 24/7 Pet Watch, the company associated with Pete’s microchip, which allowed them to trace his original owner back to Lighthall — whom Bunner described as “a wonderful man.” 

“When we reached Ed, he was ecstatic — his dog had been missing for 10 years,” Bunner recalled. “It’s the longest case I've ever heard of.” 

Lighthall expressed profound gratitude at their reunion. He noted that although Pete is older now, their bond feels unchanged. “It is like we picked up where we left off,” he told the news. “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.” 

Still, Lighthall admitted that they are both adjusting to life together after so many years apart. “He is a lot older than when I last saw him … but it’s like yesterday,” he said. “There are no words. I am filled with gratitude right now.” 

The power of microchipping and similar stories

This incredible reunion underscores the vital role microchipping plays in reconnecting lost pets with their owners. In another case, a dog named Cleo was reunited with her owner after being missing for ten years — primarily because the owner had kept her microchip information current. 

Yet the system is not foolproof: many lost animals cannot be returned because they lack microchips or their registered contact information is outdated. The animal charity Woodgreen reported that it was unable to reunite nearly 75% of stray cats and dogs in a recent year due to missing or nonfunctional microchip data. 

In a related example from the United Kingdom, a couple in Norfolk were reunited with their labrador, Daisy, stolen seven years earlier. Daisy was located more than 200 miles away during a routine welfare investigation and traced back to them via her microchip. 

These stories illustrate two things: 1) microchips can literally save the possibility of reunion, and 2) it is essential to keep microchip registration accurate and up-to-date.

Advice for pet owners

• Register and maintain your pet’s microchip details. Even the best microchip is useless if contact information is wrong or outdated.

• Scan for microchips when you rescue or find stray animals. It can yield crucial leads.

• Be aware that microchip databases and companies can go defunct. For example, in 2025, an Australian registry called HomeSafeID went offline, putting thousands of pets’ identification data at risk unless owners transferred their registration. 

• Check the retrieval and matching of your pet’s microchip. Some shelters and clinics have reported cases where a microchip number did not correspond to the expected owner records.