Missing for Nearly 3 Years

Missing for Nearly 3 Years: The Incredible San Diego Story of Colby Coming Home

For nearly three years, a San Diego family didn't know what had happened to their missing dog. Then, one night in September, a tiny microchip changed everything.

Every once in a while, a local story comes along that is simply impossible not to love.

This is one of them.

His name is Colby.

And after being missing from his San Diego family for nearly three years, Colby is finally home.

Not because someone recognized him from an old photograph.

Not because of a social media post.

Not because his family happened to spot him walking down the street.

It came down to something incredibly small:

A microchip.

Colby Disappeared in September 2023

Colby had been registered as missing since September 27, 2023.

Days became weeks.

Weeks became months.

And eventually months became years.

Nearly three years passed without Colby returning home.

For most families, after that much time, it would be difficult to imagine getting the phone call they had once desperately hoped would come.

Then, in September 2026, something remarkable happened.

A Dog Was Found Near San Diego International Airport

On the evening of September 8, San Diego Humane Society Humane Law Enforcement officers responded to a report of an abandoned dog at the Jewish Family Service Safe Sleeping site on Kincaid Road, near San Diego International Airport.

The dog had clearly been through a lot.

His fur was badly matted.

He had fleas.

And there appeared to be a possible skin infection underneath his coat.

But officers did something that would completely change the story.

They scanned him for a microchip.

There was one.

And the information attached to it revealed something extraordinary.

This wasn't simply a stray dog.

This was Colby.

A dog who had been reported missing almost three years earlier.

The Phone Call Nobody Expected

Humane Society officers began working to confirm the contact information associated with Colby's microchip.

At approximately 9:30 that night, they reached his family.

Imagine receiving that call.

The dog your family lost almost three years ago...

had been found alive.

According to reports about the reunion, Colby's owner, Cindy, immediately woke her children to tell them the news.

Colby was coming home.

First, Colby Needed a Little Help

Three years away from home had clearly taken a toll.

The San Diego Humane Society's medical team went to work getting him ready for his reunion.

Colby received:

A thorough grooming
A bath
Vaccinations
A medical wellness examination
Treatment and evaluation for his skin and coat

Meanwhile, there was another wonderfully practical problem happening at Colby's old home.

His family hadn't owned a dog for nearly three years.

They needed dog supplies again.

So Cindy spent the night and following morning getting everything ready for the family member nobody expected would be coming home.

Then Came the Reunion

On Wednesday afternoon, Colby was reunited with Cindy and young Gregory.

After nearly three years apart, the missing member of their family was standing in front of them again.

Colby subsequently received additional veterinary care before finally heading home with his family.

It's one of those rare stories where the ending really is as good as you hope it will be.

Colby was home.

But Where Was Colby for Three Years?

That's the great mystery in this story.

We don't know.

And perhaps we never will.

Somewhere between September 2023 and September 2026, Colby lived an entire second life that his family knew nothing about.

Where did he sleep?

Who fed him?

Did someone take care of him for part of that time?

How far did he travel?

And how did he eventually end up near the airport?

Colby isn't talking.

But judging by the condition he was in when found, his journey wasn't necessarily an easy one.

What matters most is where that journey ended.

Back home.

The Tiny Device That Made It Possible

There is an important lesson buried inside this feel-good story.

Microchips work.

A pet microchip is a tiny identification device implanted beneath an animal's skin.

When a shelter, veterinary hospital or animal control agency finds a lost pet, staff can scan for the chip and use its identification number to locate registration information.

But there is one important catch.

The contact information associated with the chip needs to be kept current.

A microchip containing an old phone number or outdated address makes the job much harder.

San Diego Humane Society recommends that pet owners microchip their animals, keep the registration information updated and file a lost-pet report if an animal disappears.

Colby is a pretty convincing example of why.

Three years is a long time.

But his identification was still there waiting to tell someone:

"I have a family."

San Diego Is a City That Loves Dogs

Maybe that's another reason this story feels particularly San Diego.

Dogs are everywhere here.

They're walking the boardwalk in Mission Beach.

Playing at Dog Beach in Ocean Beach.

Hiking our trails.

Sitting beside their owners at neighborhood restaurants and breweries.

And, of course, vacationing with their families.

Many of the homes we manage at Nancy's Vacation Rentals are pet-friendly because we understand something many dog owners already know:

Sometimes the dog isn't the pet coming on vacation.

They're another member of the family.

Colby's story makes that point better than we ever could.

What To Do If Your Pet Goes Missing in San Diego

San Diego Humane Society recommends acting quickly when a pet disappears.

Make sure your pet is microchipped.
Keep the microchip registration information current.
Use a collar and identification tag with your current phone number.
File a lost-pet report as soon as possible.
Check local shelters regularly.
Search your neighborhood and ask neighbors to check garages, yards and hiding places.
Use local lost-pet resources and community networks.

And don't automatically give up because weeks or months have passed.

Colby's family waited almost three years.

Sometimes San Diego Gives Us Exactly the Story We Need

There's plenty of difficult news in the world.

That's one reason we love sharing stories like this.

A dog disappeared.

Years passed.

Someone found him.

Someone took the time to scan a microchip.

Someone made a phone call.

A mother woke up her children.

And after nearly three years...

Colby went home.

That's a pretty good day in San Diego.

San Diego Stories Worth Sharing

At Nancy's Vacation Rentals, we love San Diego for much more than its beaches and sunshine.

Our local guides explore the people, animals, neighborhoods, history, hidden places and occasional wonderful surprises that make this such an incredible place to visit — and call home.

Explore Nancy's Vacation Rentals

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Missing for Nearly 3 Years: San Diego Dog Colby Finally Comes Home

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A San Diego dog named Colby was reunited with his family nearly three years after disappearing. Here's the remarkable story of the microchip that finally brought him home.

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