NEED TO KNOW

• A missing dog in Philadelphia named Forty-Cal was reunited with his family after 11 years apart

• Forty was stolen from the family’s Mayfair home with another dog in 2014

• The senior dog was found on March 23 and identified through a microchip updated by the family

A family in Philadelphia is celebrating an emotional reunion after their long-lost dog was found and returned home more than a decade after he disappeared.

According to information obtained by PEOPLE, the senior dog, named Forty-Cal (or simply, Forty), was picked up on Sunday, March 23, by officers with ACCT Philly after a Good Samaritan reported finding the dog alone.

When officers scanned the dog for a microchip, they discovered one loaded with contact information for a dog named Forty, who had been missing for 11 years.

Back in 2014, as explained by a spokesperson from ACCT Philly, Forty and the family’s other dog, Diamond, were stolen from their yard in the Mayfair neighborhood of Philadelphia. While Diamond was eventually recovered, Forty was never found, despite extensive searches and outreach from his owners, loved ones, and supportive community members at the time.

The dog’s owner, Jourdyn, even started an Instagram page to continue spreading the word about Forty’s disappearance.

Despite never receiving a positive lead about Forty, his owner has remained hopeful, and two months ago she contacted the microchip company that made Forty’s chip to update the dog’s information, even though she believed the now-elderly dog had likely died.

So when the ACCT Philly officers caring for Forty called the number linked to the canine’s chip, it connected them directly to the dog’s family.

“I thought it was a joke. It’s just amazing, and I can’t believe after years that he was brought back to us,” Jourdyn told ABC 6 News. “He’s very old, and he’s going to go home with us and just live his best life for the rest of the time that we have with him.”

The following day, the “overjoyed” owner and her family made the trip to Philadelphia — they had since relocated to Luzerne County — where they were reunited with Forty for the first time in more than a decade.

While the dog showed some confusion (likely due to his age and the stress of the shelter environment), the staff highlighted that it was clear Forty was heading back to a safe and loving home.

The shelter says the story is not only a rare feel-good reunion, but also an important reminder.

Animal rescue officials urge pet owners to keep microchip information up to date and encourage anyone who finds a stray animal to have it scanned for a microchip before assuming it has no home.

“Forty was clearly well cared for in recent years, with a nail trim, being quite clean, but he could have gone back to his original family much sooner had he been scanned for a chip,” stated the shelter spokesperson. “Helping a pet in need is commendable, but Good Samaritans should check for owners before deciding to keep an animal.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

Open-admission shelters like ACCT Philly, the city’s only open-intake facility, take in roughly 20,000 animals each year, with over 20 dogs arriving daily. Reuniting lost pets with their owners as soon as possible not only helps the missing animals but also keeps space open in the shelter for other needy animals.

Read the original article on People