Seeing a pack of coyotes roaming would startle most people. So when Henderson, Nev., residents began noticing a coyote pack, it was the talk of the town. But when they noticed one of the coyotes was not like the others, they talked more. The pack of coyotes had been wandering around the desert, and trailing alongside them was a pure white dog.

“It (seemed) like he may have been put out there … and somehow or another, the coyotes just accepted him,” said Susan McMullen of the Southern Nevada Trapping Team (SNTT). Residents tried to get near the dog, but he was too fast for them, escaping capture and earning him the nickname, Ghost.

Ghost sits in the crate after rescuers caught him. Photo courtesy of Fox5 Vegas

Pictures would get posted online by Ghost spotters and SNTT kept an eye on the pup. When a video was posted, showing the dog limping, the group began to worry about the dog’s poor health and knew they needed to act.

He was actually just running with them and eating with them, but then he started to limp, and we were afraid that the coyotes could turn on him,” McMullen said.

Finally, after seven months of trying, the lure of food proved strong enough and McMullen and her partner, Timi Zondiros, were able to capture Ghost in a crate.  “When he got into that crate…. He just sat down. I think he was also relieved,” Zondiros said.

Once they had the dog at the vet, they learned how hungry Ghost was – he had been eating rocks to survive. His body was also covered in scars, and he had an infection and a broken toe. But, despite having lived in the wild with coyotes, Ghost was friendly and craved human connection.

“He is the sweetest, most loving dog… he comes up to you, he wants to be petted, he wants to be held,” Zondiros said. While the rescuers worked at healing the dog, his story made the news. And one family got the shock of a lifetime – they found their missing dog.

The Cabada family reunites with dog Hades, AKA Ghost. Photo courtesy of The Animal Foundation

The Cabadas were watching the news when they spotted the story about Ghost. They said they  “immediately recognized him as Hades,” their dog that had escaped from their backyard months before. After the family reached out, there was a brief custody battle as the devoted rescuers were determined to make sure Ghost was the dog the Cabadas had lost.

The family provided videos and photo evidence, and the Clark County Animal Protection shelter was able to determine the dog belonged with the Cabadas. “There was plenty of evidence this was their dog,” shelter spokeswoman Kelsey Pizzi said.

“It was a very emotional reunion,” Pizzi told USA Today. “As soon as Hades saw his family, he ran right over to them and his tail never stopped wagging. The children were crying and Hades kept jumping into everyone’s arms.” For Christy Cabada, the nerves of waiting to get her dog back all disappeared the minute they got Hades home. “We got him some Valentine’s treats, he’s here, home in his big old fluffy bed,” she said. “My heart felt full of love.” Watch the family’s reunion below!

Sources: People | Sacramento Bee