We all dread the idea of losing our best friend. You get so used to them being here that it’s hard to think of them disappearing one day.

As sad as that is, it can absolutely still happen. Maybe not to you or me, but it’s happened before. Here’s one such story.

This is Mike Plas.

Four years ago, Mike lost his best friend. A Siberian Husky named Jack.

Mike was unashamed to say that Jack was more than a pet to him. The Husky was his best friend for life and his brother, and that’s no small title.

“Well I’ve always called him my brother. He’s definitely my brother – he’s my best friend.”

I can imagine how protective Mike and Jack were of each other. So imagine Mike’s shock, and sadness, when the worst happened.

It all happened when least expected.

Jack was in Mike’s father’s yard. And then he wasn’t.

In a couple of hours, the dog was gone. Mike wasn’t there, so he asked his mother to check in on the dog. His mom informed him that somehow, the dog wasn’t in their yard.

A lot can happen in a few hours. Given other factors, Mike thought the worst.

Wolves are known from the area where his parents reside. Could Jack have been taken by one? Probably not, but who’s to say?

Though Mike didn’t have time to get hung up on “How”. All that mattered now was getting his best friend back, which was easier said than done.

“He had a perimeter that he could stay within. And then he got his collar off and he took off, and we had lots of wolves where I live. So I figured “Okay, well the wolves got him. But every time I’d be around dad’s just driving about…because he went to a couple houses a couple times but he always came home. I just had a feeling he wasn’t gone.”

He held onto hope, and that hold was very strong. Jack was chipped, but not many strangers would think to check a random dog for a chip.

It might be jarring to go about your life after losing your best friend, but Mike had no choice.

Work and other responsibilities demanded his time too, so he had to fight the sorrow with hope and get back on his feet.

But he never stopped hoping.

Year after year went by, until four years later he got an unexpected call.

“Thursday at work, 2:30-ish or whatever, I got a call that asked for my name and if I had a dog named Jack. And then I told them that I lost him four years ago. And then (they said) ‘Ohh well….ohh we’re pretty sure we have him.”

I might take a moment to process it myself. Mike looked into it, and it turned out they did have Jack.

He was alive, and he missed Mike.

So Mike made the visit to the shelter that had Jack. There was no holding back tears from then on.

Faith fulfilled

As Jack came out, Mike sobbed uncontrollably at the sight of his long-lost best friend and brother.

He always had faith that Jack was okay, and now they were together again.

Jack cried just as much as Mike. Can you blame them? Now they can make up for all those years they lost. Who doesn’t love a happy ending?

Watch the sweet reunion in the video below!

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Source: CBS News on YouTube, Mike Plas on Facebook,