Philadelphia Woman Reunited With Beloved Service Dog After He Went Missing Friday
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A Philadelphia woman has her beloved service dog back after Coco went missing thanks to a good Samaritan. A fluffy brown Pomeranian named Coco is back in his mother's warm embrace.
The Center for Animal Referral and Emergency Services -- also known as CARES -- in Langhorne served as the backdrop for a tearful reunion Saturday morning.
"He helps my disease," said Chris, who only wanted to be identified by her first name.
The drama unfolded just a few hours earlier.
Chris reached out to CBS3 for help finding Coco, who went missing from her home on Bustleton Avenue near Trevose Road around 9:30 p.m. on Friday.
She says that is when she returned home from CVS and started unloading her car, Coco was gone in a matter of seconds.
Her worst fear was that somebody would hurt her beloved service dog.
"I said, stay there, he doesn't roam," she said. "When I went to get it, he wasn't there. I said Coco, where are you?"
Eyewitness learned Manor College faculty member David Blyweiss and his son were driving home near Bustleton Avenue and Trevose Road on Friday night when they spotted Coco in the middle of the street.
Blyweiss said a car in front of him clipped Coco's rear paw and kept driving, which prompted him and his son to stop to help the dog. They then rushed to the CARES facility.
"An elderly man brought the dog in and found it wandering," CARES employee Karen Weiss said. "This was a good samaritan and we see that so often."
Chris says that Coco was not wearing a tag or his service vest at the time he went missing.
Veterinarians say it is important to microchip your pet. It could be a critical lifeline that connects the owner to their loved one.
In this case, Coco does have a microchip but it was not registered, making it hard to locate him.
Chris plans to address that issue.
"I'm so grateful," she said.
Now, Chris plans to address that issue and is holding Coco a little bit tighter.