San Diego Family Reunited With Long Lost Dog Thanks To Microchip

SAN DIEGO — A Chula Vista family is celebrating the return of their long lost dog after it was likely dognapped more than a year ago.

The French bulldog was found in the city of Livermore, in Alameda County when police found a parked vehicle Jan. 4 that was reported as being driven recklessly. The driver of the vehicle "ran off," police said in a Facebook post, but was identified as a parolee with an active no bail parole violation warrant.

Inside the car, police found an abandoned French bulldog they took to the East County Animal Shelter in Dublin where a technician from the Alameda County Sheriff's Office found a microchip on the dog and discovered the dog belonged to a family in Chula Vista.

The Sheriff's Office contacted the family and learned the dog was named "Muny" and went missing more than a year before.

The owner also told the shelter that they had been receiving messages from an unknown sender requesting money for his return. The caller never provided any proof they had the dog, and the family felt it was a scam.

The family immediately made the eight-hour drive to pick up Muny from Dublin.

Bay City News contributed to this story.