Video shows moment dog recognizes owner after being lost for five months in the wilderness

A dog that survived for five months lost in the wilderness of Greenville County, South Carolina was captured having a very special reunion with her owner in a sweet video.

Anakin’s Trails Stray and Pet Recovery said in a Facebook post Sunday that the husky mix, named Oakley, was one of four dumped in the woods by a dog trainer around June and had been roaming in the wilderness around Greenville County since.

After Hurricane Helene, Oakley was not seen for weeks until eventually being spotted again on camera. The rescue service then began the process of trapping her.

Rescuers said a custom trap with food bait, often used to assist in recovering skittish and fearful dogs, eventually captured Oakley. One other dog in a similar predicament is still out there, they said, with the organization working to capture her as well.

Watch the sweet reunion here

The video of the reunification shows Oakley slowly approaching her owner, seemingly hesitant at first. Experiencing what Anakin’s Trails Stray and Pet Recovery called "lost dog syndrome," Oakley didn't look to recognize her family at first.

After a few careful sniffs, however, Oakley's memory came flooding back. Tail wagging and body wiggling, Oakley spends the rest of the clip smothering her humans in kisses.

While Oakley's happy ending has already arrived, the rescue said in other Facebook posts that another dumped husky mix, Oakley's sister Juno, is pregnant and still on the run. According to an update shared Thursday, Juno is roughly one month pregnant and has about another month before her puppies arrive. "Our main goal right now is to get Juno," said the post.

The other dogs who originally went missing are Oakley's mom, Nova Jo, who was caught early in the search, and sister Marley, who was caught Tuesday and later reunited with her family.

The rescue did not have additional information to share about the trainer or any further investigation into the incident.

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected] and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.