Missing Florida Dog Found 3 Years Later In N.J., Reports Say

A Florida man has been reunited with his dog, Bella, after she went missing three years ago from her owners and was found in New Jersey last week.

Bill Gerstein of Delray Beach, always brought the dog to work, but on Dec. 13, 2013, he let her outside and got distracted.

“We searched, we put up signs, we were at this place until 2 in the morning,” Gerstein told WPTV.com.
Bella was gone.

Gerstein had given up hope of ever seeing Bella again. That is until Thursday, when he got an email from a animal shelter in Paterson who had the Maltese-Pomeranian mix. The dog had been implanted with a microchip and the shelter got Gerstein's information from the chip.

Within 10 minutes, Gerstein booked a flight to come and get the dog.

Gerstein knows a New Jersey family who cared for Bella for about nine months this year before she ran away.

Another woman, Ashley Abregu, found Bella and took her to the shelter, worldnews1.org reported.

Still, he has no idea how Bella got to New Jersey in the first place.

“I wish that she talked, I wish she was wearing a GoPro or something like that because she has some story to tell,” Gerstein told WPTV.com.

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Photo: Bill Gerstein and Bella — Courtesy of Bill Gerstin