A dog found nine years later was recently reunited with its owners, and this incredible story is quickly going viral. The touching reunion happened at the Foothills Animal Shelter in Colorado on Saturday, 9 News reports.

Nearly a decade ago, “Boozer” the boxer disappeared from his owner’s home in Tennessee. Obviously, the family was heartbroken that their dog was gone, and they had no idea if they would ever see him again.

Speaking with the local news station, Boozer’s owner, Lloyd Goldston, shared what it was like to suddenly lose a member of their family.

“I didn’t ever expect to see him again,” Goldston recalled.”We didn’t know if he was going to be mistreated. So it was really tough, very tough. And despite that, we never forgot about him.”

Goldston’s daughter, Megan, was only 15-years-old when the dog she had grown to love went missing.

“It was shattering,” Megan said.

Goldston explained that the search for their family dog was somewhat limited because they were moving at the time and didn’t have a lot of time to invest in searching all the surrounding neighborhoods.

Thankfully, Boozer eventually found a new home, and he was picked up by a loving family who kept him for nine years. However, the family was recently forced to give Boozer to an animal shelter, due to the fact that their new place in Colorado didn’t allow dogs.

Upon arriving at the animal shelter, workers scanned Boozer’s microchip and discovered that he was registered to Lloyd Goldston of Alabama. The shelter immediately contacted Goldston with the good news.

“My reaction when I found out was I cried. Especially when they sent the first picture of him,” a tearful Goldston said.

Goldston didn’t waste any time to be reunited with his dog, and he and his two children took the 18-hour trip from Alabama to Colorado to see him.

It was clear that Boozer had not forgotten about his original family, and he greeted them with clear happiness.

“It’s like getting a member of the family back,” Goldston said.

It is rare for owners to be reunited with their dog after such a long period of time and Foothills Animal Shelter spokeswoman Jennifer Strickland credits Boozer’s microchip as being the sole reason for the reunion.

“We cannot emphasize to people enough to make sure there is permanent identification such as a microchip with your pet but also a collar and tags and a pet license,” Strickland explained.

[Image via YouTube]