Colby had been gone for almost three years. However, the dog reunited after three years microchip confirmed his identity.
The Maltipoo disappeared from his San Diego family on September 27, 2023.
They filed a missing pet report.
Then nothing, for 1,077 days.
A dog reunited after three years microchip helped confirm his identity.
On September 8, 2026, San Diego Humane Society’s Humane Law Enforcement officers responded. The report concerned an abandoned dog at the Jewish Family Service safe sleeping site on Kincaid Road.
Additionally, the dog was infested with fleas. Its fur was matted, and a skin infection was suspected. Officials noted a dog reunited after three years microchip as a reference during intake.
One scan
They scanned him for a microchip. This confirmed the dog reunited after three years microchip. It came back positive, still registered, and linked to an open missing pet report. Colby had a family.
The humane society gave him a bath, a grooming, vaccines and a wellness check. His family asked that he be neutered before he came home. On Wednesday afternoon, September 9, he was reunited with Cindy and Gregory, and on Thursday he went home.
Where Colby spent the three years in between is unknown.
The unglamorous hero
The humane society said the case highlights the importance of microchipping pets and keeping contact information current. Moreover, dog reunited after three years microchip can demonstrate the value of keeping records.
That is the whole lesson, and it is not a dramatic one. A microchip is a grain of rice under the skin. It does nothing until someone scans it. But when someone does, three years can collapse into an afternoon, and a flea-bitten stray in a parking lot turns back into somebody’s Colby.
The story was picked up by NBC 7 San Diego and Patch, and by September 12 it had gone national through CNN Newsource. Most lost-pet stories do not end this way. This one did, because of a registration somebody kept up to date.
Sources
- NBC 7 San Diego, Dog missing for three years found near San Diego International Airport (Sept. 11, 2026)
- Patch, Missing Dog Reunited With San Diego Family Nearly 3 Years Later (Sept. 10, 2026)
- CNN Newsource via KY3, Microchip led San Diego Humane Society to Colby’s family (Sept. 12, 2026)
- San Diego Humane Society, Heartwarming Reunion: Dog Missing Since 2023 Reunited with Family
