For a year, Petey waited for someone to notice her. Though this five-year-old had a generous spirit and kind heart that set her apart from other dogs at the shelter, her charms were lost on the adopting public, who could not get past the fact that Petey is a pit bull mix. Staff and volunteers alike began to despair that Petey would never find her "forever" home. . .until Mr. Sachs walked into her life.

Every bit the Prince Charming, Mr. Sachs rescued Petey from a life of hardship and deprivation by offering her unfailing love and all the comforts that money could buy. We could not have dreamed of a better life for Petey. Hers became the success story that proved to us that we do not toil in vain. Our hard work and heartbreak do, indeed, make a difference.

But then, on November 18th, disaster struck. While vacationing with Mr. Sachs in Florida, Petey became lost. Though she was microchipped, she wore no identification tags. (Having just received treatment for skin allergies, she had been unable to tolerate a collar.)

Mr. Sachs contacted us and we did what we could to help him in his search, contacting Florida shelters and rescue groups and even consulting a pet psychic. For his part, Mr. Sachs was tireless in his efforts to find Petey, putting up posters, handing out flyers and visiting and revisiting area shelters. Yet, a month went by with no word of Petey. Even the most optimistic among us began to fear the worst.

Finally, just days before Christmas, we received the joyful call from Mr. Sachs, letting us know that Petey had been found. She was battered and bruised and painfully thin, but she will make a full recovery.

The story of how she was found, while uplifting, is also quite chilling. A woman who is involved in rescue in Florida spied Petey while visiting a local shelter. Asking about this pathetic pit mix, who was trembling and cowering in her cage, she was told that Petey, who had been brought in as a stray, was scheduled to be euthanized the following morning. (It is the policy of that particular shelter to euthanize all strays after holding them for five days.) As she made her way home that night, the rescue woman could not get out of her mind the image of the poor pit mix, whose life would be needlessly taken the next morning.

She raced back to the shelter and, though it was closed, was able to have Petey released. As she was leaving the shelter, she glanced at the bulletin board and, there, for all to see, was the flyer that Mr. Sachs had posted, complete with Petey's picture. Within an hour, Mr. Sachs was tearfully reunited with his beloved Petey.

Petey's story is truly a miracle. Had the rescue woman arrived just one day later, Petey would have become one of the millions of nameless animals who are euthanized in kill shelters across the country each year. To those of us who know and love Petey, that dedicated rescue woman has given us the greatest of Christmas gifts-Petey's very life. We're all so grateful that Petey has come home for the holidays.

Pet owners take heed: Always, always be sure your pets have ID tags on them at all times, even if they're microchipped. Not all shelters scan for microchips. Petey's lack of identification almost cost her life.

Petey's story tells us to never give up hope. Petey was lost for a month, yet she was found!

To read about what you can do if you lose a pet, click HERE.

If you would like to read all about Petey's happy adventures before this, click HERE.