GREER, S.C. — He went missing seven years ago after he seemingly vanished from a woman's New Mexico home. After being found in the pouring rain Thursday night more than 1,700 miles away, Nugget is finally going home.
An emotional reunion seven mysterious years in the making was completed in just two exciting days.
After Nugget disappeared in 2015, a woman by the name of Jennifer was cleaning her South Carolina home. Thankfully, on this night, she decided she was going to step outside under her metal carport for a few minutes to sip on a cup of tea and listen to the rain.
What happened next will forever change the life of Jessie Springer, a New Mexico woman who had been in search of her "ride or die" for over a half-decade.
Jennifer discovered this little Jack Russell, Pug mix walking along the side of the road past her house. He was in bad shape. She scooped him up and rushed him to the emergency veterinarian hospital where she said they immediately checked him for a microchip.
On Feb. 10 Jennifer reached out and Springer described her response.
"I'm like, 'What?' And I said, 'What? What does the dog look like?' And she said, 'he's a little..,' I can't even say it because I'm going to start crying, she said, 'he's a little yellow dog and his name is Nugget,'" Springer said.
RELATED: Owner cries tears of joy after dog named Nugget found walking on road across country 7 years later
As you can imagine, Springer said she started crying. She couldn't believe after all these years, her "SnugNug" as she described Nugget showed up across the country.
On Saturday afternoon, Springer flew all the way across the country to Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport in South Carolina for the reunion of a lifetime -- her little Nugget was, at long last, back in her arms.
There wasn't a dry eye in the entire airport.
Springer herself took to Facebook with an emotional message thanking animal rescue organization Carolina Loving Hound Rescue, with a shoutout to 11Alive's Cody Alcorn for the coverage this incredible heartwarming story received.
While Springer was still trying to wrap her head around the fact her Nugget had been found seven years later, Carolina Loving Hound Rescue and Jennifer were getting Nugget up to date on his shots and getting him looked over to see how is health was after being found on the streets.
The big question was if he would be cleared to travel back with Springer on a plane. The vet gave Nugget the green light and Carolina Loving Hound Rescue has arranged for Springer to fly in this weekend to pick up Nugget to bring him back home.
Springer said she never thought she find Nugget but can't wait to bring him back to New Mexico She adds her daughter who was just a couple years old at the time he disappeared is just as excited as she is to have him home.
This is a great reminder to make sure your pet is microchipped. It's also important to note that if you do find a lost pet to immediately take it to a vet and have it checked for a microchip. Also, don't forget to update your microchip information if you move or change numbers. In this case, for Springer and Nugget, she hadn't changed her number in seven years.
Read the full story of Nugget's rescue here.