By Eric Jankiewicz
The owner of a lost dog is willing pay thousands of dollars to bring her pooch home.
Manhattanite Malena Zysman went on vacation earlier this month and left her 3-pound Chihuahua with a friend in Ridgewood. When Zysman returned, she learned that her dog was lost after wandering away on April 7 from the friend’s house at 60th Street on 67th Avenue.
“I need to get her back,” Zysman said after a full day of passing out fliers in Ridgewood. “Everything in my apartment reminds me of her. She did everything with me. She’s so little and so I’d put her in my bag and go around with her.”
Zysman first offered $10,000 to anyone who found her but after receiving a torrent of calls from people who just wanted the money, she changed the flier to “very high reward offered $$$$$.” But it’s not just opportunists who are responding to Zysman’s fliers. Ridgewood Social, a group that hosts events in the neighborhood, shared the flier on its social networks and people in the area have called to tell her they were looking for the dog.
“There are all of these random people who have gone through similar experiences that are helping me,” she said.
Zysman moved to Manhattan three years ago and soon after settling in she bought Layla, a long-haired Chihuahua that Zysman is willing to spend her savings to get her back.
“And now I’m just alone in the city. I’m going insane because I don’t know how to find her,” Zysman said. “I’m trying to think of the best case scenarios. I want to stay positive.”
Anyone with information on the lost dog can call Zysman at (845) 825-3669
Reach reporter Eric Jankiewicz by e-mail at ejank
