Losing a pet is heartbreaking, especially when that pet was cruelly STOLEN from you.
But nothing is better than a family reunion, no matter how long it takes!
Here's what happened.
On Thursday night, a construction company reported to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department that one of their pieces of equipment, a John Deere backhoe worth $80,000, had been stolen from them.
Police opened an investigation and the next day they had located the backhoe near 58th street in Jurupa Valley.
But, here's the catch. Police didn't just find one stolen item...they found another.
Near the backhoe, chained to a large concrete block, was a large, very friendly, Great Dane.
When police called Riverside County Animal Services out to scan the microchip, they realized that the dog, named Sadie, was also stolen.
Adam Hagan, Makayla Farin and their daughter live in Lake Elsinore now, but they used to live in Jurupa Valley, and it was there TWO years ago, that Sadie was stolen from their own backyard as a puppy.
At the time, their then 3-year-old daughter was just heartbroken.
Officer Christopher Peck from Riverside County Animal Services told the Press-Enterprise:
“The owners said their daughter never forgot about the family pet and had been praying, tossing coins into fountains and wishing on every shooting star that her pet would return one day,”
(IT'S REALLY DUSTY IN HERE RIGHT NOW!)
Adam and Makayla say they couldn't believe it when they got the call about Sadie, and they decided to keep it a secret from their daughter until her birthday on Saturday.
But they were a little worried Sadie wouldn't recognize them.
They did not have to worry.
While their daughter waited out front with family with her eyes closed, Adam and Makayla went back to see Sadie, and she was SO EXCITED to see them. You can see it in the video below.
They walked Sadie out and held a 'Happy Birthday' sign over her and told their daughter to open her eyes, and her reaction is just so incredibly sweet.
According to police, a 48-year-old Jurupa Valley resident was identified as a suspect in the case, but has not yet been arrested.