LAS VEGAS (AP) — Judith Monarrez crumpled onto her kitchen floor and wept when the news arrived in an email: Gizmo, her pet dog missing for nine years, had been found alive.
Monarrez was 28 and living with her parents in 2015 when Gizmo, then 2 years old, slipped past a faulty gate in the backyard of their home in Las Vegas.
The decade that followed brought a lot of change. Monarrez, now 37, moved into her own home, earned a master’s degree in English, and began her teaching career in higher education. But throughout the years, Monarrez said, she never stopped trying to find Gizmo.
Now, she was climbing into her car to drive across town to meet Gizmo at an animal hospital. Monarrez was later told that a woman had found the now 11-year-old dog and dropped him off at the vet, where they scanned his microchip, triggering the email notification that sent Monarrez to her knees, crying.
Within hours of receiving that email on July 17, Gizmo was back in his owner's arms. Monarrez called it “a miracle.”
“Hindsight is 2020,” she said. “I’m so glad I registered his microchip.”
Their reunion came at the same time a new Las Vegas city ordinance requiring pet owners to microchip their cats and dogs is set to take effect Aug. 1.
Monarrez said Thursday that Gizmo's first week back at home has brought mixed emotions.
It's clear, she said, that the nine years they had spent apart had changed Gizmo, too. The 8-pound Chihuahua had grown afraid of shadows, heights and birds, and Gizmo now walked with a limp. Monarrez said both of the dog's eyes were also severely infected, and some of his teeth were missing.
“Even though he looked so different, when I looked in his eyes I knew immediately it was Gizmo,” Monarrez said, recalling the moment they were reunited at the vet's office. “And as soon as I said his name, he tilted his head and he didn’t stop staring at me.”
While Monarrez and her parents can't stop thinking about what Gizmo endured after he went missing, their focus now, she said, is on addressing his health issues and “showering him with all the love that we were holding onto for all those years."
In this image provided by Judith Monarrez, her pet dog Gizmo is seen cradled in her arms, Sunday, July 21, 2024. Monarrez was reunited with the dog on July 17, 2024, more than nine years after it went missing in Las Vegas. (Judith Monarrez via AP)
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Linebacker Haason Reddick won't play in the New York Jets' season-opening game Monday night at San Francisco while he remains in a contract dispute with the team.
Coach Robert Saleh acknowledged Saturday “that would be fair” to rule out Reddick, who has not been at the team's facility since the Jets' trade for him from Philadelphia became official on April 1.
The two-time Pro Bowl edge rusher, seeking a contract extension, has requested a trade from New York — something general manager Joe Douglas has said the team won't honor.
Saleh earlier in the week wouldn't rule out Reddick for the game, saying he's a veteran who knows how to prepare for the season. But the chances of that dwindled with each day of practice and Reddick remaining a holdout.
“Everyone goes through their own process,” Saleh said. "I'll stand firm that when he gets here, we're going to welcome him with open arms and we're going to love him up and he's going to be a part of this football team. And he's going to help us win a lot of football games.
“He's got to sort through the financial stuff, which is none of my business. I said it when I first got hired that our job is to help these guys make money. So, I always stay clear of it. Our job is to coach him when he gets here and love him up when he gets here.”
Reddick, who has four straight seasons of double-digit sacks, requested a trade from Philadelphia in the offseason when it became clear the Eagles wouldn’t give him a contract extension. The Jets had conversations with Reddick's representatives and felt comfortable enough to make the deal to acquire him.
Reddick, who turns 30 later this month, remains on the reserve/did not report list, where he was placed by the Jets on July 25, the second day of training camp practice.
Saleh insisted he's not frustrated by the situation with Reddick.
“Like I said, he's going through his process,” the coach said. “And when he gets here, we're going to do everything we can to help him get what he wants.”
Reddick's total fines for his holdout have surpassed $5 million, including over $2 million for missing all of training camp. He'll now forfeit almost $800,000 in game checks for each regular-season game he misses.
Backup offensive lineman Wes Schweitzer is out for the game with a hand injury that Saleh said will land him on injured reserve, meaning he'll be sidelined for at least the first four games. Schweitzer, entering his second season with the Jets, is a primary backup at guard.
Second-year linebacker Zaire Barnes, a special teams standout, will miss the game with an ankle injury.
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FILE - Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick (7) in action against New York Jets tight end Tyler Conklin (83) and offensive tackle Max Mitchell (61) during an NFL football game, Oct. 15, 2023, in East Rutherford NJ. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz, File)
