After a three-year absence from her home, Aisha Nieves of Allentown knew that her Pitbull-Rottweiler mix, Kovu, was gone for good. The one-in-a-million coincidence that proved her wrong was covered by Daniel Villarreal for Newsweek. 

Kovu was a happy member of the Nieves family from his puppyhood in 2014 until an unusual accident in 2019. A car hit the Nieves fenced-in yard, and the resulting hole allowed Kovu to flee. 

Nieves was devastated. 

“He was there for me through everything, heartbreaks, ups and downs, and now he was gone. It was so hard to accept,” she said. 

Kovu was picked up by the Lehigh Valley Humane Society (LVHS). Another family adopted him in 2019, but its move resulted in him back at the shelter. 

Nieves finally decided it was time to welcome a new dog into her home. While scanning the available pets on the LVHS website, she scrolled her way to a very familiar face. 

It was Kovu.

She sped to the shelter to get her dog back in a joyful reunion. “We locked eyes, and I saw his smile,” Nieves said. “He started squealing and screaming and yelling.” 

Kovu’s homecoming was just in time for his seventh birthday. 

Nieves has pledged never to lose him again. 

More on this heartwarming tail — er… tale is at Newsweek.