TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — It’s the reunion we’ve all been waiting for. After eight sleepless nights, and with the help of social media, a small grey Shih Tzui, who went missing from her owner’s yard, was found Thursday morning.

The owner, Rachel Lewis, previously told WFLA she only had the dog named Wendy for about four hours before the dog ran away. She said she had just returned home from getting her before she pulled the escape act.

“I just took her outside, she had her little harness on, her little pink thing and I thought I had it on tight enough, but I took her out in the front yard and for some reason, she wiggled out of it and took off,” Lewis said.

Fearing that Wendy might wander off too far, Lewis posted about her dog on social media, and several people joined her in the search to bring the dog home. Earlier in the week, people said they had spotted Wendy roaming around, but on Thursday, the dog was finally found.

By a stroke of luck, a condo complex security guard, who had seen WFLA’s previous story of Wendy, immediately recognized the small pup and was able to safely retrieve her.

“This is my doggy Wendy that’s been missing for eight days, and I just found her,” Lewis said and recalled how she came across her sweet pup. “A man at the bait store on west Gandy told me that Culbreath Key Condominiums, a man had seen her there, so I went there, and I spotted her.”

Lewis said she and the man were able to trap Wendy in a corner, and that’s when the pup went to her owner. She told WFLA that it was a “miracle” seeing her 16-month-old dog.

“Please, always believe in miracles; they do happen,” she said. While Wendy is home after eight days, Lewis said she was becoming worried, but she kept her faith.

It was an emotional morning for Lewis, who was reunited with her beloved pet. In a phone call to WFLA, she told reporter Jeff Patterson that Wendy was eating and she was happy to have her home.

“[Wendy] seems to be in pretty good health – she’s hungry and thirsty – I’ve been letting her have a little bit. Her little leg is wobbling a little, so I’m gonna have to take her to the vet, but for eight days, this little thing has survived on her own,” Lewis said.

The return of Wendy didn’t just make Thursday a happy day, but a “wonderful day” for Lewis.

“A wonderful day, and thank you Lord, and thank you Channel 8, and all the people that helped. Thank you so much,” she said.