Our pet dogs are parts of the family. And when they are gone, we miss them so we look for them. That’s what family does.

Every day, we always find ourselves greeted by tireless kisses from our dogs. Their world revolves around their human family and they make each day even better just by being their fun-loving and playful selves.

It will never be complete without them, and even though we know that they have lives far shorter than humans, we still prefer to have them because they make us feel loved and important. Dogs are amazing and having them around is definitely a blessing that we should be thankful for.

It only took a few minutes for Betsy to lose her precious Harley.

It was 2014, on a clear February day, when the unthinkable happened to Betsy Dehaan from Lee County. She saw that it was a good day, and apparently, her energetic pitbull puppy Harley also thought it was a great day to explore the woods nearby.

The woman left for only a few minutes to go back inside and use the bathroom. When she returned to where she left her dog, the young pup was already gone and nowhere to be found.

Betsy did not waste any moment and started looking for her beloved dog.

She and her family handed out posters so someone who saw the dog could reach out to them and inform them about the pup’s whereabouts. They went around the surrounding area of their home and asked if anybody saw their Harley, which was only a few years old then.

“We searched and cruised and looked and put up posters and sent out the “wanted”, you know, “missing pet” and just never stopped looking for him,” Betsy recounted.

Harley was microchipped so if anybody would find him, they expected to receive some news and chances are, they would soon reunite with him.

But days turned to weeks, and weeks turned to months. The family did not get any calls about Harley. Months turned to years and eventually, the family felt like they had a small to zero chance of finding their pup again.

It was heartbreaking, but Betsy had to accept the fact that Harley is most likely unable to go back to her arms. The pain left the family reeling and thinking about how Harley could have felt or if he is doing well keeps them thinking and feeling down.

It has been eight years since Harley got lost, and Betsy knew it would be very close to impossible to find her dog at this point. But, she was wrong.

Angie Bray and a friend of hers were walking around Barto Boulevard in San Carlos Park when they spotted a severely malnourished pup with overgrown nails. The dog’s rib cage was highly visible against its fur which is already sparse at the time.

“I didn’t realize how bad it was until I actually got the dog,” Angie shared. She got the dog and took him to the Cypress Lake Animal Hospital and Lee County Domestic Animal Services.

In there, the unknown dog was given the medical attention and nourishment he needed as he recovers from his condition. Due to the microchip, the facility found Harley’s owner and contacted Betsy.

Betsy could not believe her eyes when she saw the text message about her missing dog.

The woman no longer lives in Lee County and is now residing in Florida. When she initially saw the message from the animal services facility, Betsy thought that someone was trying to make fun of her and that everything she just read was just a scam.

She and Harley have been apart for longer than they have been together, and she is not too convinced that her long-lost pup is really alive. When she finally accepted the possibility that everything was actually happening, Betsy decided to pay a visit to the facility to meet Harley.

Could it be possible that Harley still recognizes Betsy?

After finally verifying that the message was legit, Betsy flew over 1,100 miles to finally reunite with her dog. She was nervous as she waited behind the door, hoping that her pup will still recognize her even after the long years they were apart.

But when their eyes met, both knew and remembered who they were to each other. Harley knew in an instant that he was looking at a familiar face, the face of his human parent who has been away from him for so long.

Both of them rushed to hug each other and it was the most beautiful moment ever!

Witness their emotional reunion and get to know more of their story by watching the video below.

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Source: CBS Miami, Facebook – Welcome Home, Harley, CBS News