Family goes to adopt a new dog months after their pet disappeared — then they see a familiar face

It’s always heartbreaking when a pet goes missing, but it’s important to never lose hope — sometimes our beloved pets return to us in the most unexpected ways.

That was the case for one family, who decided to adopt a new dog after their old pet went missing for months… only to spot a very familiar face.

A family from Queens, New York was devastated in January after their beloved dog Mocha disappeared. They had left her with a dog sitter while on a week-long vacation when she went missing.

Months passed with no sign of their dog, and they had to accept that he was gone for good. They decided to move on from the heartbreaking loss by opening their hearts to a new shelter dog.

On Sunday, they decided to check out an adoption event at Union Square Park held by Animal Care Centers of New York City.

“We were in the city and we heard about this event and as we were driving we were like, let’s go check it out,” the father of the family told the NY Daily News. “We had enough time and we decided to take a ride over there, and take a look … to see if we could find a puppy.”

They looked at the adoptable dogs, and saw a very familiar face… it was Mocha!

According to the ACC, Mocha had been found tied to a post near the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and was brought to the Brooklyn ACC by the NYPD.

Mocha — who was known as “Sandy” during her time at the shelter — was a staff and volunteer favorite. She was considered a favorite to find a home at the adoption event, but thankfully no one had claimed her before her family showed up. The staff said she had the “temperament of a family dog.”

The family was stunned to see the dog: it was a remarkable coincidence and act of fate that brought them together again. In a video shared by the ACC, the dad can be heard excitedly saying “I’m telling you, that’s my dog!” as the family happily pet her — and Mocha jumps with joy seeing her old family again.

The shelter verified their claim and released Mocha into their care, saying they were “overjoyed” to reunite the sweet dog with her family.

Mocha is now home, and the family is showering lots of love on their old friend.

“Her favorite food is raw meat,” the family’s dad told Daily News, saying he was going to spoil the dog all summer. “She doesn’t like the kibble. She likes the raw meat.”

It’s not entirely clear what happened to Mocha after she went away: she was reportedly “exhausted” and lost weight, but was otherwise unharmed.

While the owner said that he had suspicions about the dog sitter, saying he was “playing games” and not answering calls after Mocha disappeared, he thinks the dog may have run off from the sitter and been found by someone who tied her up.