July 17, 2008
Rocco comes home
A microchip led a beagle back to his original family, five years after he went missing.
NEW YORK (AP) _ A veterinarian says that lost-and-found pooch Rocco is happy and healthy — in spite of having been separated from his Queens family for five years.
Rocco was reunited with his owners after he turned up 850 miles away on July 3 at an animal shelter in Hinesville, Ga. The dog had been tagged with a microchip that was used to identify his owners.
Eleven-year-old Natalie Villacis was still in kindergarten when her beloved dog went missing. She says the dog acts as if "he knew he was home."
The beagle was taken for a checkup Tuesday at an animal clinic. Veterinarian Dr. Steven Weinstein said Rocco was fine, aside from a scar on his ear and a case of heartworm disease. He prescribed antibiotics to get rid of the parasite.
Here's the video from Rocco's guest appearance yesterday on the "Today" show.
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