Pasadena, TX – An unlikely reunion took place at an adoption event in Pasadena earlier this month. A dog named Gertie was one of the Pasadena Animal Shelter attendees at the Texas Roadhouse event.

Gertie had been a resident of the shelter since June, making her one of their longest-stay dogs. Shelter staff was perplexed about the lack of interest in Gertie. They write, “None of us could understand why she was with us for so long. She was an absolute sweetheart who loved everyone and always had that huge, ear-to-ear smile on her face when she saw you.”

But as it turned out, there was apparently a reason that she had been overlooked – her true family still hadn’t found her. According to the shelter, a man attending the event thought that he recognized the dog. He was a pastor, and he knew that a family at his church had been missing their dog for a year.

After making a call, the family rushed to the event to see if the dog was their missing pet. And as fate would have it, Gertie (whose real name is Cookie) was in fact their missing dog. The shelter said:

There were lots of smiles, tears, hugs and tail wags all around. And now Cookie (formerly Gertie) is back home with her family.

Cookie’s family is calling the reunion their “Christmas Miracle.”

Welcome home Cookie!