DELRAY BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) — A family is celebrating a heartfelt homecoming in Delray Beach for a dog they thought they had lost at sea.
The owners thought they lost their dog for good after it went overboard, but strangers assisted with a remarkable reunion.
A happy dog named Tito Burrito was reunited with his family.
“We’ve been out on the ocean for 10 days no issue, no problems, nothing. We get on the Intracoastal way, calm, calm, calm, and he jumps off the boat,” said one of the owners.
Tito was gone.
His owners had no luck finding him, but Tito had good karma in Delray Beach.
“One of our neighbors was sitting at the– there’s a gazebo on the boardwalk there– and noticed the dog actually bobbing in the water,” said Daniel Negron.
Negron said Wednesday, he was able to catch Tito and bring him home.
Negron said he began searching for Tito’s owners.
He contacted friends, they posted pictures of Tito on Facebook, and he eventually called a veterinarian.
“They scanned him and luckily enough the owner updated the dog’s information the night before, so we immediately got a response,” Negron said.
“Microchips are absolutely excellent and important to all dogs and dog owners,” said Janet Diamond, a veterinarian at Justin Bartlett Animal Rescue in Royal Palm Beach.
Diamond said microchips provide an extra level of protection in case a pet loses their collar and tags.
“It’s a simple process, a microchip is no bigger than a piece of rice. It’s injected underneath the skin and the dog or cat does not feel it,” she said.
In the meantime, Tito is feeling the love of being reunited with his family.
“This dog, I guess, has some good karma because he found his way back home almost immediately,” Negron said.
Tito’s family wants to remind all boaters to make sure their pets have life vests when they’re out on the water.
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