Ten years had passed since Ed Lighthall last saw his dog, the one that slipped through a backyard fence and vanished into the city. Most people told him to move on, but he never really did. One ordinary morning in Chicago, a text changed everything. A shelter had found his dog. Within minutes, Ed was standing in front of the friend he thought he’d lost forever, and all those missing years seemed to disappear.
The Disappearance and the Call
In 2015, in a Chicago neighborhood, a poodle-doodle mix named Pete slipped away from his yard. Ed Lighthall (also referred to in some reports as Edmon) believed the dog had been stolen, and he certainly didn’t imagine he’d ever see him again. For years, Pete’s absence hovered in the background. Ed told friends he missed him. His family had adopted him in 2012, and for three years, he described Pete as “his shadow.” Even when others moved on, he held at least to the notion that if he were still alive, they would meet again.
On a day like any other on September 22, 2025, Ed got a text. The sender: a microchip registry. The message: his missing dog had been found. The place: the streets of Hammond, Indiana, about twenty miles from where he had last seen Pete. Animal control officers had picked Pete up when they saw him walking loose, scanned his chip, and traced his history back to Ed. He drove forty-five minutes the next day, saw Pete walk out of the shelter, greeted him, and believed his eyes: his dog really was back. “I felt like he recognized me immediately,” Ed said. It was quite sad to find out that Pete’s most recent owner, who had renamed him ‘Stewie,’ no longer wanted him.
A Small Chip, A Big Difference
This story is proof that one small piece of technology made the reunion possible. The city of Hammond spokesperson called it “a perfect example of why microchipping works.” Pete’s no longer the puppy he was a decade ago. Ed estimates the dog is now 14 or 15 years old. Yet when they met again, the greeting came instantly: a spin, a lay-down, like they never skipped a beat. Ed threw a park picnic for Pete’s return. Friends, family, and other dogs all greeted him. The atmosphere: relief, gratitude, celebration. “It was just a great experience,” he said.