美国国家公共电台 NPR Would Your Dog Remember You After 10 Years?

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SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

A few weeks ago we spoke¹, with Debra Suierveld about her amazing dog, Abby. Abby went missing from her Apollo, Penn., home 10 years ago. A few weeks ago, she was found in an animal shelter. They checked her for a microchip, and Abby was reunited with the Suierveld family after 10 years. Debra's daughter, Carly, had a special bond with Abby. Last Friday, she came home from college and was reunited with her long-lost black lab mix. Carly Suierveld joins us now. Thanks so much for being with us.

CARLY SUIERVELD: Hi. Thank you for having me.

SIMON: Abby's back. What's that like?

SUIERVELD: Oh, it's quite a journey. It was so great seeing her again. She barked me at first. But now she's cuddling up and kind of seeming to remember who I am (laughter).

SIMON: Aww. She seems to remember who you are. What do you remember of her when - you must have been just a child.

SUIERVELD: Things are a little different now. She looks a lot bigger, obviously. But she's kept a lot of the same habits, which is crazy. She's still a great listener and just altogether such a sweet, sweet dog.

SIMON: How old were you when Abby went missing?

SUIERVELD: I was 12.

SIMON: That must have been a heartache for you.

SUIERVELD: Yeah. I was really devastated². And I was really invested in trying to find her back. So we were putting flyers up all over the neighborhood. And we live in a rural area. So we tried our best to, like, get out and reach everyone. But it didn't end up working out immediately. But, hey, 10 years is - I'll wait.

(LAUGHTER)

SIMON: What did you think when your mother called you up and said Abby's back?

SUIERVELD: Honestly, I was very confused for a moment.

(LAUGHTER)

SIMON: Yeah, I'll bet.

SUIERVELD: It had been a while since I heard the name Abby. And she kind of chose to mess with me because she called me and said, hey, I'm visiting Abby after work.

SIMON: Oh.

SUIERVELD: And there's not a distinguishable³ Abby in our life. So I was like, our old neighbor? And she said, no, your dog. And I was just in shock.

SIMON: You must have thought your mother was - something had happened to her, right?

SUIERVELD: (Laughter) Yeah.

SIMON: She got bonked on the head by a can of corn or something.

SUIERVELD: I was curious. I was like, Mom, you know it's 2018, right? But then she explained the story about how they found her a couple towns over. And I was just in shock. I really wanted to be able to get home that weekend. But with having two jobs out in Ohio and then also school, I couldn't really swing canceling everything.

SIMON: Yeah.

SUIERVELD: But I'm happy to be home and see her now.

SIMON: Do you suppose Abby, within a few minutes, knew who you were? You were the little girl she remembered?

SUIERVELD: I would like to think so. I mean, she stayed with me for basically the rest of the night. So I'm going to choose that thought. I mean, it could just be because she's one of the sweetest dogs on Earth. But I like to think that she kind of knows who I am.

SIMON: Do you look at Abby and kind of wish she could tell you what happened?

SUIERVELD: Oh, absolutely (laughter). Ten years of just being off and not knowing where she was - it's really kind of driving me crazy. Yeah. I'm sure she would have some great stories to tell.

SIMON: Carly Suierveld in Apollo, Penn., thanks so much.

SUIERVELD: Thank you.

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