A father surprises his child at school by bringing back their lost dog, filling their hearts with pure joy.

Christmas is coming, but instead of looking forward to the holidays, the Licata family was met with an unthinkable tragedy – their beloved dog Piper suddenly went missing. The tragedy happened when April Licata let Piper and her other dog out to ‘go potty’. And when she opened the door to let them in, Piper was nowhere to be seen.

Last month, Licata let Piper and her other dog outside to use the bathroom. But when she opened the door to let them back in, Piper was nowhere to be seen.

The family searched everywhere, posted on social media, and reached out to neighbors and community groups. They prayed for Piper’s safe return, but as days turned to weeks, they feared that they would never see their pug again..

“We were all sick,” Licata said. “The older kids wanted nothing to do with decorating the Christmas tree and it was a very somber Thanksgiving for them.” After two weeks, Licata received a Facebook message from the Genesee County Animal Shelter. A person who wanted to remain anonymous had dropped off a dog matching Piper’s description at the shelter. “My husband and I were going out to dinner and honestly, there was an outcry of joy in the truck,” April recalled. “We were shocked and elated!”

Carter was out of town when they got Piper back, so Licata decided to keep it a secret and planned to make their reunion even more special. She wanted to surprise Carter at school, so she drove to pick him up with Piper riding in the passenger’s seat.

Then, Licata received a Facebook message from the Genesee County Animal Shelter. A dog matching Piper’s description had been dropped off at the shelter by a person who wanted to remain anonymous. “My husband and I were going out to dinner and honestly, there was an outcry of joy in the truck,” Licata said. “We were shocked and elated!”

Carter was out of town when they learned about Piper, so they decided to keep it a secret and surprise him with a special reunion when he returned. Piper, meanwhile, wandered around the house looking for her brother, until finally, their reunion day arrived.

When Carter saw the pug in the front seat of the truck, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. But when he realized that it was really Piper, he immediately broke down in tears. Piper’s tail went crazy at the sight of her brother and as soon as he stepped in the truck, she jumped in his arms, showering him with hugs and kisses.