Immaculada Jackman was absolutely heartbroken when her dog, Chong, darted out of their home in Lincoln, Nebraska, and vanished without a trace. It happened back in 2021. As time passed, the family still could not come to terms with the loss.

“I kept looking for him anyway,” Jackman told local TV station WKRC. “We still drove back to our old neighborhood from time to time, just going down the streets and looking carefully, thinking maybe someone was walking him or maybe he was running around somewhere on his own.”

Five years later, the family’s prayers were answered. A friend forwarded Immaculada a social media post: a dog matching Chong’s description had been found near a truck parking lot in Indiana — more than 1,000 kilometers from his home.

Jackman immediately contacted the Hendricks County Animal Shelter to bring Chong home. But an unpleasant surprise awaited her there: it turned out that during his years of wandering, someone had microchipped the dog under their own name.

Shelter staff awkwardly had to explain the procedure to the woman: they were required to first contact the person listed on the microchip. If that person did not respond within three days, the dog could be released to his original family.

“They admitted to me that they themselves were hoping and praying with all their hearts that the person would never get back in touch,” Immaculada recalls.

The waiting period expired, no one answered the shelter’s calls, and Jackman was allowed to adopt her own dog again. She did not come alone to meet Chong, but brought his new “brother” as well — a dog named Che-Che, whom the family had adopted after Chong disappeared.

Touching footage from the shelter captured the first moments of the reunion: at first Chong hesitated and looked confused, but a moment later he recognized his owner, pressed up against her, and began barking happily.

Jackman believes their story should serve as a reminder to everyone who has lost a pet and still misses them terribly. “Never lose hope,” she says. “A whole five years went by, but we found him!”