Dog owners whose pets come up missing can understand the feeling of loss. Unfortunately, only about 23 percent of lost pets are reunited with their owners, according to the Coalition for Reuniting Pets and Families. This is what makes the story about Hazel that much more amazing.

Hazel comes up missing

Three years ago, while living in Iowa with her family, Monica Mathis had lost her beloved dog Hazel. She had left Hazel on the leash outside and when she returned, the dog was gone. Mathis later took a job in Minnesota. Hazel did have a microchip, but Mathis had lost the paperwork and so did not know how to update it when she moved.

Hazel is found featured on a beer can

Several years went by, her dog Hazel and what exactly had happened to her always a question at the back of her mind. Then, she saw an ad for beer cans with the faces of pooches looking for adoption. One of the faces caught her attention. The dog, named Day Day, looked just like Hazel.

Mathis ended up crying as her confused and concerned wondered what was going on. She insisted the dog on the beer can was her Hazel. There was only one way to find out. She called the shelter and they were able to confirm that the dog was indeed Hazel.

The beer cans were part of a special campaign by Florida brewery, Motorworks Brewing, in partnership with Manatee County Animal Services in Florida. Two of the four dogs featured on the cans had already been adopted when the shelter got the call from Mathis.

“We really couldn’t believe it,” Hans Wohlgefahrt, a worker at the shelter, told Yahoo. “It was just kind of an unreal thing. The campaign at that point had reached a higher, national level, so we treated it with a little bit of skepticism. We needed some verification from her… so Monica provided everything we needed, she gave vet records and a lot of photographs to show she had the dog ever since it was born.”

Wohlgefahrt offers to bring Hazel to Mathis

Mathis had no idea how her dog had ended up in Florida. Once it was verified that the dog was Hazel, the next thing to do was figure out how to get Hazel to her rightful owner. That is where Wohlgefahrt stepped in, offering to drive Hazel the over 1,600 miles to Minnesota. Taking more than two days, the pair finally arrived at Mathis’ home in Minnesota.

A heartfelt reunion

Hazel was excited to see her long-lost owner, jumping around and putting her paws on Mathis’ shoulders and licking her face. And while Wohlgefahrt had grown close to Hazel during his time with her and would miss her, he was happy that she was finally going home.

More about Manatee County Animal Services

For more on how you can adopt a pet or donate to Manatee County Animal Services, visit the organization’s Facebook page. Check out the video below to see the heartwarming reunion between a Mathis and Hazel.

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Source: NBC News

H/T: CNN