or eight long months, Janna Berger and her dear dog Murphy were apart while she was off training for the army. The love they shared, however, didn’t diminish in the slightest.

“I thought about Murphy every day,” Berger told The Dodo. “Being away from him was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.”

And Murphy missed her, too.

Back at home with Berger’s parents, Murphy never forgot about his faraway friend.

“In the first letter my mom sent me, she told me about how every day since I’d left, Murphy waited outside the door to my room for me to come back,” Berger said.

But then, after waiting so long, she and Murphy were finally reunited.

This week, Berger posted a heartwarming video showing that adorable moment. In the first few moments after seeing her back home, Murphy appeared to be in disbelief that it was actually her — barking and seeming skittish around the person who for so long existed only in his memory.

It wasn’t until he got a sniff that all the pup’s love came pouring out:

“I had no idea Murphy would react the way he did!” Berger said. “When he didn’t recognize me at first, I was so heartbroken. The happiest moment of my life was when he finally figured out it was me.”

Murphy’s dream had come true.

This reunion happened after Berger’s completed her army training, so soon she and Murphy will get to be together for good. Berger, who’s now at university, plans to move into a new home to share with her pup.

She wouldn’t have it any other way:

“He’s been the light of my life for over three years now, and I’m hoping to have many more with him by my side.”