"I had something in my heart,” said Kayla, a fourth-grader,

"And I knew he wasn't gone.”

He vanished from home

Six very long years ago

But in her heart and soul

Kayla wouldn’t let him go

At the time of his disappearance

Her friend ‘Cujo’ was seven years old

He somehow ended up over 100 miles away

In the home of a very compassionate widow

But when this very kind elderly woman

Had to go live in a nursing home one day

Cujo the again homeless Golden Retriever

By the local Humane Society was taken away

His picture eventually appeared on a Pet Adoption website

Kayla’s uncle spotted the missing Cujo there very recently

And when the reunion between these two good friends occurred

It was very evident that Kayla’s heart and soul now filled with glee

Having helped reunite Katrina pets with their former owners

I have seen firsthand how these reunions can uplift human souls

In this case the faith and hope of an extremely determined little girl

Somehow managed to bring home her good friend now 13 years old

After Cujo went missing, Kayla’s family had put up posters, had offered a $500 reward, and had called every animal shelter and veterinarian clinic in their area looking for him.

And every year since then, little Kayla, who was just 4 years old when her friend disappeared, insisted that Cujo's Christmas stocking be hung on the chimney.

Kayla, now 10, still has his old Christmas stocking and the cedar-lined black cushion her furry friend Cujo used to sleep on.

And now, she can't stop petting his soft golden fur.

Reunions between long lost friends – of any kind – are always marvelous.