HAMILTON, Ohio — For more than 250 days, Dylan Reedy didn't know where his dog was.
Then a random photo on Facebook gave him the answer.
Timber had come home.
WATCH: A random shelter photo led to an emotional reunion between Timber and the family who had been searching for him.
Reedy had raised Timber since the dog was about six weeks old. He said Timber was more than a pet.
“He's my baby,” Reedy said.
Timber also had a personality that made him hard to forget.
In November, Timber disappeared. Just days later, a major snowstorm hit, leaving Reedy worried about what could have happened to his dog.
But Timber wasn't outside for long.
The day after he disappeared, people found him and brought him to Animal Friends Humane Society.
The shelter gave him a new name: Flash.
His family, however, had no idea where he was.
For more than eight months, they searched and waited. Reedy and Arend eventually began looking at humane societies to adopt another dog.
“I just wanted to know where he was, and I just wanted to know that he was safe,” Reedy said. “It really was really hard not knowing.”
Then came the photo
Last week, Ferg the Bike Dude stopped by Animal Friends.
Ferg fixes used bicycles, sells them and donates the proceeds to the humane society. As part of his donations, he takes a picture with a shelter dog.
This time, he picked Flash.
That photo was posted on Facebook.
Arend saw it, and something about the dog looked familiar.
She began comparing the shelter's pictures of Flash with photos of Timber, looking at the spots near his toes, the black spot on his head and other small markings.
Then she noticed a little white patch on his left ear.
“That’s when I was like, I really think that’s Timber,” Arend said.
She was right. Flash was really Timber.
Timber recognized his family
After more than 250 days apart, Reedy and Arend went to the shelter.
Timber recognized Reedy almost immediately.
In a video of their reunion, Reedy can be heard asking, “Do you remember me? Do you remember your dad?”
Timber's reaction made the answer clear. He remembered.
And his family says the dog they got back was the same Timber they had been missing.
“He's not changed,” Reedy said. “Same, same old dog.”
Timber is still a cuddle bug who likes to sleep between his owners, and his family says he has the same playful, people-loving personality.
“He's just brightened the whole place up,” Reedy said. “Everybody's in such a good mood since he's been home.”
For Arend and Reedy, the reunion meant getting back more than a pet.
They got their baby back, and it all happened because someone happened to take a picture of a shelter dog.
Animal Friends Humane Society says Timber's story is also a reminder for pet owners to microchip their animals and keep their contact information current. The shelter says having current identification information gives lost pets a better chance of being reunited with their families.
