Newport News, Virginia - This older woman wasn't sure why she was at the animal shelter, but when she saw a little dog walk up to her, she cried tears of joy.

Judith Doughty's daughter Ginger Vassar drove her to the local animal shelter, but didn't tell her why they were going there.

Then the staff members told Judith that they had something they wanted her to see.

In the video, you can see a small dog on a red leash come around the corner and walk right up to Judith.

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She looks at the dog and then tentatively asks, "That's Skylar?! This is my dog?" Those around her answer yes and Judith immediately bursts into tears.

Sobbing, she hugs and pets her beloved scruffy pooch.

And she had a good reason to be so emotional, as WTKR TV reported: Skylar had been missing for three years! He had disappeared without a trace when he was let out to do his business in the yard.

The family searched high and low for the missing dog, but the little white pooch was nowhere to be found. It seemed like the then three-year old animal had vanished from the face of the earth.

Now three years later and about 15 miles away from home, Skylar reappeared just as mysteriously.

A woman named Sherae Battle and her children found the lost dog. The kids saw Skylar from the car and alerted their mom. The family followed the pooch in a wooded area and lured him to them with crackers.

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The dog stayed with the Battle family for two days until the Peninsula Regional Animal Shelter opened. Susan Jacobs, a shelter staff member, then checked the dog for a microchip.

Jacobs was able to contact Judith's daughter Ginger Vassar thanks to the information on the dog's microchip. Ginger jumped at the chance to give her mom a happy surprise, and caught the sweet moment on film.

"I was sad when he was gone, but I didn’t give up. I prayed and prayed, and the Lord answered my prayers. Anyone else who sees this, I hope they try to look for their dogs," she told WTKR.