What to Know
- Poodle-mix Mellow went missing from his Queens home on May 13
- His image was posted to a 'Lost and Found' pets page by a Facebook user, but the post and user profile was later deleted
- The Collado family is appealing for his return, as the dog was "best friend" to 70-year-old Manuel Collado, who is home alone during the day
A 70-year-old man is devastated and missing his "best friend" after his dog went missing, appeared to be found, disappeared again and is now feared stolen, his son says.
Ed Collado said the saga started last Monday May 13 when 7-year-old poodle-mix Mellow slipped out a side gate at his parents' home in Ozone Park, Queens.
As soon as he found out, Collado started scouring Facebook lost-and-found groups for any news of Mellow. He said the dog would sometimes go out the gate, but would normally sit right outside the house. "He's a good dog, he's well trained... He loves spending time with the family, he's caring and very protective," Ed said.
When a post popped up that appeared to show Mellow in a car with the caption "Lost dog found. Ozone Park 88 Street," Collado jumped into action. "I got excited and messaged, "Hey, listen, that's my dog, been looking a couple of hours, here’s my phone number."" But soon after, he says the post was taken down, and he never heard from the person.
"We had the dog a little over seven years now. My dad is by himself during the day, he is 70, he is like my dad's best friend."
A week later, the family is still searching for any sign of Mellow, with parents Felicia and Manuel Collado losing hope.
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"He’s been depressed ever since he lost the dog and that's the main reason I'm trying so hard to find him," Ed said. "[My mother] is pretty upset seeing him like that, too, and upset she's lost part of the family."
Ed has tried to find the person who posted the picture of Mellow on Facebook, but his account appears to be deleted. He has also posted fliers all over Ozone Park and identified the location Mellow was picked up in the hopes a neighbor might have security footage.
He believes the person who posted that message may have stolen Mellow. The Collados planned to file a police report Tuesday, he said.
