Chase was the kind of dog City of Denton Animal Shelter worried would never get adopted.

Some Good Samaritans spotted him running loose with two other dogs in April, and an animal control officer was able to trap him. But without a chip or identifying collar, Chase’s past remained a mystery.

Had the pittie ever known the love of a family? How long had he been on his own? Shelter workers tried to get him to trust them, but Chase was hesitant to open up.

“When Chase first arrived at the shelter, he was very scared and didn’t want anything to do with anybody at all,” Misha Gonzales, an animal care technician at City of Denton Animal Shelter, told The Dodo. “He was very shy, timid and very standoffish.”

“When we would leash-walk him, he seemed terrified. His tail would be tucked and he would be shaking and trembling,” she added. “When we would try to pet him, he would move away from us. The way he was acting, we knew it would be hard to get him adopted.”

After a five-day stray hold, Chase was vetted and moved to the adoption floor. Gonzales worried that the nervous pup would never find a family. But then, miraculously, his family found him.

Chase had gone missing from his home in November of last year, leaving his owners devastated. His family posted fliers and drove around for months looking for him with no luck.

“Because we have some amazing people out there that [keep] track of all the missing animals, the owners were contacted last night and after almost six long months, they came to the shelter first thing this morning,” City of Denton Animal Shelter wrote on Facebook.

When Chase saw his family walk through the shelter’s front door, he completely transformed. And, luckily, Gonzalez pulled out her camera at just the right moment to capture the emotional reunion.

“Chase was with us for a week and he was almost shut down where he had no reaction to staff,” Gonzalez said. “So when his dad, Hubert, walked through the front door, Chase instantly turned into a happy, excited dog with his tail wagging and jumping on his dad and kissing him. We all lost it. There wasn’t a dry eye in that lobby and watching Hubert and his pure, genuine love for his dog in that moment is indescribable.”

You can watch the sweet reunion here:

Chase is now home, surrounded by the love of his family. And for shelter workers like Gonzalez, it’s moments like this that make the job worth it.

“There’s really no words to describe that feeling of seeing Chase reunited with his family,” Gonzales said. “Everyone loves a good feel-good story, and that is what this is and then some.”

source THE DODO