Brooklyn dog missing nearly a year reunited with owners

NEW YORK (WABC) -- A dog that disappeared after being injured in a hit and run nearly a year ago in Brooklyn has been reunited with his family.

Phife, a young Lab mix, arrived as a stray at Animal Care & Control of NYC's Brooklyn Care Center. 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 named Buggy.

All cats and dogs that come through AC&C's doors are scanned for a microchip, in the hopes that owner information can be found.

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 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. 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.

"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."