Watch: Missing Dog Reunites with Owner After Running Away from Car Accident Scene

Jillian Sandefur was “heartbroken” that her dog had gone missing after it ran away from the scene of a car accident she was involved in.

But on Saturday, after over one month of searching, the owner was reunited with a familiar fluffy friend.

Sandefur, a Sergeant in the Indiana National Guard, was driving in West Virginia on Route 35 on June 12 when she was involved in a rollover crash with Murphy, her shetland sheepdog, WOWK reported. Following the accident, Murphy was spooked and ran away from the scene.

She was also knocked “unconscious” after the crash, her father, Jeff, noted to WSAZ.

After recovering and spending some time searching for her missing dog, Sandefur had to report back to Indiana for work and was saddened that Murphy had not been found.

“She would just go to bed at night in tears. Her mother and I would talk to her and try and face the reality that we honest-to-God did not believe this dog would not be found,” her father told WSAZ.

Local residents did not stop as they continued to search the area, even setting traps to locate the missing dog, WOWK noted.

Thankfully, their efforts worked as Murphy was found on July 14 after he was lured into a trap with one of his favorite foods.

Murphy stayed with two locals before Sandefur’s family picked up the dog.

Two days after being located, Murphy was reunited with an elated Sandefur as she embraced her once-lost friend.

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Sandefur expressed gratitude toward the two local residents by giving a handwritten letter to Becky Randolph and Tera Gardner, who helped locate and keep Murphy at their residences until the family could pick him up.

Per WOWK, she wrote:

To: My Heroes.

It’s not everyday that you encounter people who are exceptionally selfless to others, such as yourself. My fur baby family and I couldn’t be more grateful. Please accept this card and photos as a token of our appreciation for everything you have done to bring Murphy home.

Sandefur will now have some time to spend with her fluffy friend until her National Guard unit deploys in September.

You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.