Family reunited with stolen dog

NEW YORK (WABC) -- It's a happy reunion for a 3-year-old boy and his dog.

The Yorkshire terrier snatched from the child a year ago has been found.

While the dog has some serious injuries, the family and the vet hope he'll be ok.

2-year-old Coby has burns all over his body.

It's unclear what exactly happened to him but his owners are just happy he's no longer missing.

More than 13 months ago, someone snatched the Yorkie right out of the arms of then 2-year-old Omar Medrano.

Omar was walking outside his house in Uniondale.

"We heard him crying and we were like what's wrong and all he would say is 'Coby, Coby, Coby,'" said Karen Ayala, Coby's owner.

But earlier this week, Omar's mother Karen Ayala got a phone call from a vet in Freeport.

A lady had just brought the dog in saying she found him a week before.

They scanned a microchip in Coby's neck and matched that number to Ayala's phone number.

"I didn't expect for me to see him in these conditions, but I was very happy to hear that he was there," Ayala said.

Dr. Douglas Wyler, who has a practice in Hempstead, is now treating Coby for free.

Dr. Wyler says he can't be exactly sure what happened to little Coby but he says he has a thought.

"It would appear that someone may have spilled something hot or caustic on him that may have dripped down the side of his body. It may have been hot boiling water or hot oil," Dr. Wyler said.

What makes this reunion story even more touching is that Omar was recently diagnosed with a treatable form of kidney disease and now he has something to comfort him.

"Tell me what you're going to do with him when he comes home," Eyewitness News asked little Omar.

"Play," Omar Medrano said.

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