A waggy ending! Dog who went missing for five YEARS is reunited with her cancer survivor owner and gives birth to a surprise puppy just days later
A dog who went missing for five years has given birth to a 'miracle' puppy, leaving the owner 'desperate' to keep both animals.
Jen Costa, 37, from Queens, was devastated when her English Bulldog Azzurra Diamante, disappeared from her car at a gas station in Nassau County, Long Island, in 2016, while she was getting treatment for tongue cancer.After Azzurra went missing, Jen said she put up flyers and called the police, animal shelters, and vets - but everything was a 'dead end.'
But the pair had a happy reunion after a kind stranger found the dog last October in Henderson, Tennessee - a staggering 1,000 miles from where she went missing - and contacted a local shelter.
Staff at Henderson Animal Control scanned Azzurra Diamante's microchip and got in touch with Jen to let her know they had the animal in their care.
Jen Costa, pictured here with Azzurra Diamante after the pair were reunited, was devastated after her dog went missing from her car in 2016
The cancer survivor, who drove 1,000 miles to collect her beloved pooch from an animal shelter, is now trying to raise funds so she can keep Azzurra's surprise puppy 'Miracle'
No one realised that Azzurra was pregnant with Miracle (pictured) as she had not gained weight, which Jen puts down to her only being pregnant with one puppy
Henderson Animal Control sent an email to Jen, who was 'dumbfounded' when she heard the news.
'I was sitting the other day and got an email that said, "Your pet has been found." I thought I was seeing things, honestly,' she recalled. 'I figured it was a mistake. It was a confusing emotion - I was just dumbfounded.'
Jen then called Henderson Animal Control, who confirmed that they did indeed have her beloved pet in their custody.
'At first it sounded like they were confused. I thought maybe it was a mistake,' she continued.
'And then they were like, "Yeah, we have a dog here," and that was when they confirmed it was really happening.
Jen drove the 1,000 miles to Tennessee, before meeting up with Azzurra, in a reunion she described as being like a 'movie' scene. She told Newsweek: 'It's like she took up right where she left off. She stood up on the front seat and was ready to go, just like she used to.'
One night shortly after the pair were reunited, Azzurra's behaviour seemed out of the ordinary. She started panting, and being restless, jumping on and off the bed. Jen noticed the dog was bleeding, and called the vet, who suggested the animal may be in labor. They set up an appointment for the next morning.
However, while driving to the vet, Jen noticed Azzurra licking a puppy. She told the Jackson Sun: 'I reached my hand in to see what it was — and the lights were off so I couldn't see anything — and when I touched it, it was wet and moving. So I screamed!'
Jen, pictured here with Miracle, noticed almost immediately that the puppy looked like her late dog Bruno, who died of cancer last year
An unlikely series of events: Jen says Azzurra's disappearance and their reunion, followed by the birth of puppy Miracle who looks like her late dog Bruno (pictured) can't be coincidences
Now Jen is trying to raise funds so she can keep both Azzurra and Miracle (pictured), saying she is currently 'trying to figure out [her] next move'
In a further strange twist, Jen, who named the puppy Miracle, noticed the pooch looked like her dog Bruno who died last year - which she says cannot be a coincidence.
As she is currently living with family members, and unable to bring the dogs home, Jen is now trying to raise money via a GoFundMe page, so she can afford accommodation and keep both mother and puppy.
Jen, who has lived on disability payments after suffering from various health problems including cancer, wants to raise money to look after the animals as well as to create merchandise to sell.
She wrote on the crowdfunding page that she is staying in a hotel with Azzurra and 'trying to figure out our next move'.
'I desperately want to keep her [Miracle] with me as I know God did not sent her back to me for no reason,' Jen said.
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