Phife Back Home Thanks to Microchip Scanned at Animal Care & Control of NYC
NEW YORK, October 9, 2014 – A dog hit by a car nearly a year ago—and who then disappeared when the car continued on with the poor dog stuck underneath—has been reunited with his family. Phife, a young Lab mix, arrived as a stray at Animal Care & Control of NYC’s (AC&C) Brooklyn Care Center and that same day AC&C staff scanned the dog for a microchip and were able to reunite Phife with his guardians.
Phife was adopted from one of AC&C’s partner rescue organizations in 2013. About two months later, Phife ran out of an enclosed area in a park and into a street and was hit by a car. The car fled, but Phife was nowhere to be found. Matthew Dublin and Kendall Layrock, Phife’s owners, searched for hours, but to no avail. In the following weeks, they continued the search online and contacted numerous shelters, but could not locate Phife. Eventually they adopted another dog, Buggy.
All cats and dogs who come through AC&C’s doors are scanned for a microchip, in the hopes that owner information can be found. Along with pet ID tags and dog licenses (which are required by law in NYC) microchips are a key tool used to help reunite lost animals with their families. From January 1 through September of this year, AC&C—which takes in hundreds of animals each week—has returned 1,370 animals to their owners, including 1,019 dogs. New Yorkers looking for lost pets are encouraged to visit AC&C in person, and also search the Found Pets Database online. This and additional lost/found resources are available at http://nycacc.org/LostFound.htm/.
“Microchipping your pet, and keeping your contact information current, is critical,” said Risa Weinstock, Executive Director of AC&C. “We’re thrilled for Phife and his family, and hope their story will encourage more New Yorkers to microchip their companion animals.”
This Saturday, guardians can have their dogs or cats chipped for $25 at a clinic sponsored by the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals. The low-cost clinic will take place from 11am to 3pm at the My Dog Loves Central Park Fair at the Naumberg Bandshell, located mid-park at 72nd Street.
All dogs and cats adopted from AC&C go home with a pre-registered microchip, included in the adoption fee. AC&C’s three Care Centers in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Staten Island are open for adoptions daily 12-7pm. This Friday, potential adopters can also meet their new best friend at AC&C’s Mobile Adoption Center outside Petco, Union Square, 860 Broadway (4-7pm) and this Saturday, at AC&C’s Mobile Adoption Center at NY Veterinary Hospital, 150 E. 74th Street (12-4pm).
“It is incredibly surreal,” Dublin says of the reunion, adding that “Buggy and Phife get along swimmingly and luckily for us. Phife is totally at home and seems very happy. Every chance he gets, he licks us and wants to cuddle. We have no idea where he’s been for the last 10 months, but we couldn’t be happier he’s back with us and he seems to feel the same.”
About Animal Care & Control of NYC
Animal Care & Control of NYC (AC&C) is one of the largest animal welfare organizations in the country, taking in approximately 30,000 animals each year. AC&C is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that rescues, cares for and finds loving homes for animals throughout the five boroughs. AC&C has a contract with the City of New York to be an open-admissions organization, which means it never turns away any homeless, abandoned, injured or sick animal in need of help, including cats, dogs, rabbits, small mammals, reptiles, birds, farm animals and wildlife. It is the only organization in NYC with this unique responsibility. Visit www.nycacc.org for more information, and follow AC&C at facebook.com/NYCACC and @NYCACC.
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Contact: Alexandra Silver
asilver@nycacc.org / (917) 807-7829