The young lab-mix lost after he bolted when spooked by fireworks at the downtown bonfire Saturday night was found this morning on Doctors Path near National Grid.
His owners, Diane Delapava and her 8-year-old son, Anthony Rolli, spotted Ace in a wooded area near the utility company this morning. They drove to the vicinity to look for their dog after learning of a report that he was seen on nearby Middle Road this morning.
A town senior citizens program bus driver called RiverheadLOCAL to say the dog was spotted on Middle Road near Timothy Hill Children’s Ranch in Riverhead. RiverheadLOCAL alerted the dog’s owner and posted a note on its Facebook page.
“When we got to the area, there were all these people out looking for him, even the town animal control people,” Delapava said. “They couldn’t get him. He ran off. They eventually left but I wouldn’t give up.” Delapava said her son has been heartbroken since his dog disappeared Saturday night.
“Then we spotted him,” she said. Ace, a male who will be a year old on Christmas Day, was found about two miles from where he was last seen.
“He’s in pretty good shape considering he’s been outside for two-and-a-half days,” she said. He was still wearing his collar and tags.
After Ace was lost, Delapava contacted the Riverhead Animal Shelter and RiverheadLOCAL, hoping to spread the word. Social media posts by North Fork Animal Welfare League, which operates the town shelter and this publication reached more than 100,000 Facebook users combined and were shared by more than 1,000 people.
“We were amazed by the response,” Delapava said, “but disappointed that there had been no sightings.” Until yesterday, when someone called her to say they thought they saw Ace at Target.
The family kept searching for their missing pup and today their efforts paid off.
“We’re very happy to have Ace home,” Delapava said. “We want to thank everyone who spread the word and looked for him. We really appreciate it.”
Photo caption: Ace, who was lost Saturday night downtown, was reunited with his family today and is pictured above with owner Anthony Rolli of Riverhead. (Photo courtesy of Diane Delapava)
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