The family searched for her everywhere, posted about her pictures on social media, and reached out to neighbors and community groups. They prayed for Piper’s safe return, but after the weeks had gone by without any sign of her, they feared that they would never see her again.

Piper had been given to their son Carter Licata as a 12th birthday gift. The dog loves everyone in her family, but her bond with her brother Carter is special. “It was love at first sight for the two of them,” April Licata, Carter’s mom, told The Dodo

With Piper gone, the family’s holiday season was nearly destroyed. The whole family, especially two eldest children, Carter and Natalie, lost the energy to put themselves in Christmas spirit. “We were all sick,” Licata said. “The older kids wanted nothing to do with decorating the Christmas tree and it was a very somber Thanksgiving for them.”

After two weeks, Licata received a Facebook message from the Genesee County Animal Shelter. A person who wanted to remain anonymous had dropped off a dog matching Piper’s description at the shelter. “My husband and I were going out to dinner and honestly, there was an outcry of joy in the truck,” April recalled. “We were shocked and elated!”

Carter was out of town when they got Piper back, so Licata decided to keep it a secret and planned to make their reunion even more special. She wanted to surprise Carter at school, so she drove to pick him up with Piper riding in the passenger’s seat.

When Carter saw the pug in the front seat of the truck, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. But when he realized that it was really Piper, he immediately broke down in tears. Piper’s tail went crazy at the sight of her brother and as soon as he stepped in the truck, she jumped in his arms, showering him with hugs and kisses.

“My son loves his dog so much, was sick while she was gone, and tonight she’s sleeping next to him again,” April wrote on Facebook. “What a Christmas miracle for our family.”

You can watch the heartwarming video here: