Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Five-Year-Old Autistic Boy Reunited With Missing Service Dog
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Nov 16, 2013
Modified Nov 16, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Nov 16, 2013
Modified Nov 16, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
In today's super-happy feel-good news, a five-year-old Rye, New York boy with autism was reunited with his service dog after a woman found the unmarked pooch and returned him nine days after he went missing. And when the two finally saw each other again yesterday, there was a lot of adorable hugging and slobbering.
Mark Fontana, 5, was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder two years ago, and his parents say he is unable to communicate and is prone to running away. In September, after a year of waiting, the Fontanas received Echo, a 5-year-old Labrador retriever donated by non-profit organization Guiding Eyes for the Blind. Echo, who cost $45,000 to train, was Mark's constant companion. "She’s a safety feature ’cause she stops him from running away,”Paul Fontana, Mark's father, told WCBS this week. "She walks to school with him. We take her out when we go shopping or to the mall or to the beach or pool or anywhere. The idea is that she’s always with him.”
But a little over a week ago, Echo disappeared, leaving Mark and his parents despondent. The Fontanas, who believed Echo had been taken by someone in a car, offered a $1,000 reward to anyone who found the dog. And on Friday, a woman contacted the family to tell them she had Echo. "They said 'I think I might have your missing dog,' and my heart stopped," Mark's mother, Emily Fontana, told the Daily News.
The woman, who told the Fontanas she found Echo wandering around and gave her to her sister in the Bronx; after recognizing her from news reports, she reached out to the family to return her. Guiding Eyes used a microchip to confirm Echo's identity, and yesterday she was reunited with her young charge. "There's something about Echo that has brought a calm and peace to Mark, and by extension, our whole family," his mother told NBC New York, who captured some too-cute footage of the couple's slobbery, cuddly reunion.
Tagged
adorable
happy
mark fontana
rye
service dog
Rebecca Fishbein
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Parents grumble as NYC schools chancellor dodges calls for NYC schools integration plan
Journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones said she felt disappointed by the lack of details.
By
Jessica Gould
Published Oct 20, 2026 at 10:01 p.m. ET
Driver found with apparent gunshot wound on George Washington Bridge, officials say
The westbound upper level was closed Tuesday night as Port Authority police investigated the incident.
By
Charles Lane
News
Driver found with apparent gunshot wound on George Washington Bridge, officials say
The westbound upper level was closed Tuesday night as Port Authority police investigated the incident.
By
Charles Lane
16 arrested in New York auto insurance fraud crackdown involving nearly $500K
By
Giulia Heyward
Coney Island's small, 1890s lighthouse may be landmarked by the city
By
Catalina Gonella
New renderings are out for Queens' Metropolitan Park casino
By
Willow Higgins
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .