Evanston woman reunited with chihuahua after 12 years missing; found in Gary, Indiana

An Evanston woman was reunited with her dog, who had been missing for nearly 12 years.

Vanessa Antonino last saw her beloved chihuahua Flor more than a decade ago. Antonino aid she was going through a hard time, and it only got worse when she had Flor in her car and the pup ran off.

In the years that followed, she hoped and prayed Flor was safe with a family somewhere. It seems she was – all the way in Gary, Indiana.

Her most recent caretakers had to give her up, so they brought her to a shelter which found Flor's microchip and, eventually, Antonino's number.

"When I got the phone call, the first phone call, they're like, is this Vanessa? I'm like, yes. And they're like, We have Flor. And I was like, I was thinking back, I was like, Flor? I'm like, I hadn't heard her name in years!" Antonino said. "I missed years with her, her knowing her brothers, like, her human brothers. They all know about her. When they saw her, they're like, oh my god, ma. They're like, our sister is home! Like, yes! Yes!"

"I have looked for her every single day of my life and it's like just having her home. It's like, I can't believe it!" she added.

Antonino said she's ecstatic to have Flor home. And the reunion was even more moving because, Antonino said, it feels like a gift that Flor is now back to see her in a new and brighter chapter of life.