'Dead' Dog Shows Up on Stranger's Porch Alive 10 Years after Vanishing from Family
The loss of a pet can be devastating, especially for children. Debra Suierveld, of Apollo, Pennsylvania, knew this feeling well. But she also witnessed a miracle, when her beloved family dog, once gone, came back from the dead.
Abby, a black Lab mix, was playing in the back yard with the Suierveld children near the woods behind their home. One minute she was there and the next she was gone.
At first, the family thought that she had run away. Then, when she didn’t return home, they assumed the worst — that she had died.
That was ten years ago. In that time, the family had mourned for their loss and even had the veterinary pronounce the black, furry, family member deceased. It was difficult to say goodbye.
Ten years later, an amazing thing happened; Abby returned from the dead. The entire Suierveld family was left scratching their heads in wonder. Only Abby knew the truth.
Judy and George Spiering lived ten miles away. They came home one day to see a black dog sitting on their porch.
They called Animal Protectors of Allegheny Valley, who quickly came to pick up Abby.
They noticed that Abby had been implanted with a microchip and from this, they determined that she belonged with the Suierveld family.
“When I scanned her, I found a microchip, which made us very excited,” says Jody Berisko from Animal Protectors. After ten long years, Abby was going home.
Debra was contacted and told that her dog was still alive. She couldn’t believe it. She immediately called her daughter who, now 22 years old, was away at school.
“She cried,” said Debra. But the children weren’t the only ones to be touched by Abby’s reappearance. “It feels like a part of my kids’ childhood is back, part of our family is back,” she added.
Still, it was hard to believe. Debra said that her children kept asking if Abby responded to her name and if she remembered certain commands that she had been taught. She sure did!
No one knows where Abby’s been hanging out for the past ten years and she certainly won’t say. One thing that they do know is that she has been well cared for.
She is still the good-tempered, sweet dog that they knew.
Debra planned a Suierveld family reunion party to welcome Abby back. The family joked that Abby must have been a part of the Witness Protection Program.
Who knows? Maybe she saw something she shouldn’t have, back in the woods the day she disappeared.
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