When the Jeter family from Lake Worth, Fla., came home this past February, their hearts broke when they realized their Pit bull named Phantom was missing. They searched their neighborhood day and night, but the dog seemed to be forever gone. Three months later, Phantom was spotted running on a busy street and taken to Animal Care and Control, and thanks to his microchip and Facebook, the Jeters were reunited with their dog.
The family had raised the pet since puppyhood and they never gave up hope that the canine would someday return home, however, those three months without their dog or leads to his whereabouts were very difficult for the family.
Relying on social media to help them find their lost dog, the Jeters posted Phantom’s picture on the Loxahatchee Lost and Found Pets Facebook page. On Sunday, May 11, a reader commented on the posting alerting the page administrator that Animal Care and Control had posted a picture of a dog that looked just like Phantom. The page administrator followed up on this tip, contacted Animal Care and Control and when the dog was scanned for a microchip one was found identifying the dogs as Phantom and linking him his owners.
For the Jeters, finding their lost dog mended their broken hearts. However their reunion was delayed one more day because when they were contacted with the news, the family was out of town. Luckily one of their friends, Elizabeth Accomando, agreed to claim the dog and care for him in her home while the Jeters came back to town.
The next day the Jeters anxiously went to Accomando’s home to pick up their dog and their emotional reunion was caught on video.
Phantom wore a party hat and waited in the garage for his family. When the door started opening he barked, but when he heard his owners’ voices he melted and wagged his tail at a high speed. Danielle Jeter and her son Elijah hugged the dog who greeted them with wet dog kisses.
The family couldn’t believe that after missing for three months, their beloved pet was back home and safe.
The reunion was possible thanks to the microchip and social media’s powerful outreach.
“Facebook and the Loxahatchee Lost and Found Page and all the wonderful people on there is how we got our dog back,” Jeter said.
Welcome home Phantom!
