Photo credit: North Atlantic Division / Flickr

A Keansburg, New Jersey family got the thrill of a lifetime when they went to adopt a new dog for their daughter’s 10th birthday and made a shocking discovery. Their story starts back in October of 2012 during the devastating Superstorm Sandy disaster that ravaged the east coast.

According to CNN, the family’s beloved dog Reckless, a white and brown terrier-pitbull mix, had escaped through a hole in the fence during the chaos surrounding the storm. Their home was one of the many lost during the storm, and when they went to pick up the pieces of their former life they also went on a search for the family pooch.

Searching for Reckless

Fox News also reports that the family looked tirelessly for Reckless for months after he escaped from the yard. With only his collar left behind, and the aftermath of the storm making the search even more difficult, it looked like they may never see Reckless again. After a year and a half of being without Reckless and still feeling the void in their family Chuck and Elicia James decided to do something special for their daughter Alexandra’s 10th birthday, and adopt a new furry friend into their family.

The Big Surprise

After more than 18 months of searching for the family’s lost dog Reckless, the James family decided it was time to give up their search and welcome a new dog into their home. For daughter Alexandra this meant getting a special birthday gift and hopefully filling the void of the dog she missed. Fox New reports that the family took a trip down to the Monmouth Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals shelter in nearby Eatontown, New Jersey and within moments of entering the dog adoption area got a big shock.

The very first dog they were introduced to was a nice, strong looking fellow named Lucas. Lucas looked so similar to Reckless that former owner Chuck James told Fox News that despite being a bit heavier and all of the time that had passed they knew this had to be their old dog Reckless in the flesh.

After they spotted a familiar scar on the top of the dog’s head they knew for sure they had finally found Reckless. James told CNN that when the dog first spotted his long lost family that he jumped about 3 feet up in the air and immediately recognized them. He continued to divulge that at this point no one could hold back the happy, shocked and relieved tears.

A Family Reunited

Jerry Rosenthal, president and CEO of the shelter told CNN that he believes another family may have taken Reckless in after he initially escaped from the storm-strewn family yard and that he eventually got loose once again. He went on to tell CNN that Reckless was found wandering the streets by a shelter employee back in November and had been living there ever since. Lucky for Reckless it worked out that he was in the right place at the right time and reunited with his loving and adoring family.

Rosenthal went on to express the importance of microchipping our pets to CNN. Microchipping is an important service available at most veterinary offices and shelters. The procedure is quick and painless and consists of implanting a small, rice sized chip in your pet that enables them to be identified in a situation where they may become lost or stolen. In the James family’s case, if Reckless had been microchipped when he found his way to the shelter, he could have been reunited with his family much sooner.

The James family, who is still displaced after the devastating events of superstorm Sandy, is just happy to have Reckless back and living with them in their temporary housing. Especially happy is 10 year old daughter, Alexandra who may have just gotten one of the best birthday gifts a girl could ask for, the return of her best friend.