Dog Found In Seffner 18 Months After Disappearing From New York

SEFFNER, FL -- How does a dog that disappeared from his home in Brooklyn, New York, end up in a neighborhood in Florida some 1,200 miles away 18 months later?

It's a mystery that may never be solved. And the dog at the center of the mystery, a 5-year-old Husky named Sinatra, isn't talking.

The Husky was a birthday gift for then-14-year-old Zion Willis of Brooklyn. Willis' father, Lesmore Willis Jr., said the girl and dog were inseparable until Willis was killed in a tragic gun accident at a friend's house in 2015 when she was 16 years old.

He said the dog was a comfort to their family after his daughter's death. So they were heartbroken when Sinatra suddenly disappeared 18 months ago.

“He’s known throughout the neighborhood as the dog who runs off to chase raccoons and squirrels,” Willis said. “He’s done it before, but usually he comes back no more than 30 minutes later. This time he never came back.”

Despite posting fliers around their neighborhood and searching for months, there was no sign of the dog. Willis said they despaired at ever seeing his daughter's pet again.

“Sinatra was her 14th birthday present. Their bond was strong," said Willis. "When he was gone, it was like losing a part of her.”

Then, two weeks ago, he received an unexpected query through Facebook messenger.

Thirteen-year-old Seffner resident Rose Verrill was waiting at her school bus stop off Lenna Avenue on Nov. 6 when a friendly, blue-eyed Husky with no tags wandered up. The bus stop is close to a major road so she called her mother, Denise, and told her about the wandering dog. Denise Verrill promptly came over and picked him up.

After bathing the dog, Denise Verrill took him to a veterinarian to see if he was microchipped. He was. Unfortunately, the vet wasn't able to retrieve the information from the chip. So she turned to the Hillsborough County Pet Resource Center.

The resource center was able to get an owner's name -- Willis Les -- and a phone number. But the phone number wasn't correct. It belonged to a woman in Miami who said she didn't own a Husky and added that she previously received a call about a lost Husky from someone in Pennsylvania.

So, the only information they had was a name. It wasn't much to go on but Rose Verrill's Girl Scout leader for Troop 1017, Jeanne Baldi, offered to help search for the dog's owner.

"We figured someone in the neighborhood lost him," Baldi said. "He's a beatufiul dog. We knew someone had to be missing him."

Using the name Willis Les, Baldi did a Google search.

"I didn't know if Willis was a first or last name but they told me the dog was originally registered in Brooklyn, New York," said Baldi. "Lesmore Willis came up as a hit. He was the only person with a similar name."

On a lark, she messaged him on Facebook and was surprised when Willis responded.

They spoke on the phone on Nov. 9, comparing notes. Baldi sent him a photo of the dog. And Willis verified that Sinatra had corrective surgery for a problem with his right foot.

"He immediately started crying," said Baldi. "He couldn't get words out. He was so emotional. I told him that Sinatra is totally safe; he's being well taken care of."

Willis said he and his wife, Maria, were overcome with emotion at the thought of having this link to their daughter back home.

“I didn’t believe it at first," said Willis. "But when I saw the picture of Sinatra, I broke down in tears."

However, they still had to find a way to get Sinatra back to his family.

Denise Verrill reached out to a business client involved with Southeastern Guide Dogs to see if the nonprofit organization was transporting any guide dogs to New York. The friend told her that her daughter was home for Thanksgiving but was driving back to Baltimore, Maryland, on Sunday, Nov. 25, and would be willing to take Sinatra that far.

Willis then enlisted a friend in Baltimore to bring Sinatra to Brooklyn. He said the family will meet the friend today at 4 p.m. at Seaview Park in Brooklyn to pick up Sinatra.

"Rose was really weepy last night when she had to say goodbye to Sinatra," said Baldi. "He's such a wonderful dog. I think they probably would have kept him if we hadn't found his owner."

Willis said they may never know how a Husky from Brooklyn ended up in Seffner, Florida. He's just grateful for the persistence of Baldi and the Verrill family, and is looking forward to seeing Sinatra again.

“Of course he’s getting a big hug as soon as I see him,” Willis said. “Sinatra always loved turkey legs at Thanksgiving, so I saved him a big turkey leg for when he returns home.”

"What are the odds? It's unbelievable the way everything fell into place," said Baldi. "What a happy ending."

Images via Denise Verrill

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