In December 2021, a food delivery employee said her final goodbyes to her 14-year-old dog. Little did she know that a few weeks later, she would come across a stray dog that would change both of their lives.

While on her route, the woman, who prefers to remain anonymous, saw a frightened shih-poo dart across the road. She immediately parked nearby to find the scared pup. “He was so little — and given my freshly wounded heart from the loss of my own fur baby, — I did not want to risk leaving him to be hit by someone,” she explained.

Upon finding the little dog, they instantly connected. “When we locked eyes, I said, ‘Come here, buddy’ and he ran to me, nearly jumping into my arms,” she recalled. “It was a moment that felt almost like he’d been searching for me his entire life and he finally found me.”

The woman tried to locate the dog’s owner, but had no luck. He wasn’t microchipped, and a vet checkup revealed the 3-year-old dog, whom she named Stitch, was in mostly good health apart from his matted hair. After a week with no leads to his owner, she groomed Stitch and realized he resembled her late dog, Lela.

However, it took some time for Stitch to feel safe. Initially skittish and unsure of how to play with toys, he eventually became a loving and playful dog. The woman still misses Lela but is grateful for the time they had together and the second chance she has with Stitch.

“I sit back and wonder if somehow, somewhere in this universe, it was Lela that made us cross paths at just the right time,” she mused. “The resemblance between the two is uncanny. He was in desperate need of love and proper care, and I was in desperate need of help in mending an incredibly broken heart.”