NORTHEAST PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A dog that was lost, then found, and lost again is finally home.
8-year-old Ava hasn't seen her missing dog Shelly in more than two weeks.
The Pinscher-Chihuahua mix slipped out of the house during Thanksgiving week.
The two were best friends.
So she had a special request to Santa
"I wished she would come back," Ava told Action News last week.
And sometimes wishes actually come true.
The two are now back together and seeing each other for the first time Tuesday.
"I'm so happy," Ava said.
For the two, separated for days, there were plenty of kisses and licks to go around.
One day after going missing in Northeast Philadelphia, a woman found Shelly and took her to the Bree's Animal Hospital in Mayfair.
The woman knew Shelly had a microchip with the owner's information, but she left with the dog and Shelly hadn't been seen since.
The story spread quickly on social media as the push was on to find Shelly.
There's no telling what Shelly has been through.
She was passed around from person to person.
The big break in finding her actually came from detective work by Shelly's owners.
"On Friday, we went to Bree's and we sat with the vets and the employees and went through the surveillance tapes," Jennifer Kralle said.
With the help of police, they tracked down the woman and Shelly.
And now she's back where she belongs
"To see your child that excited you can't explain the feeling, especially knowing what she's been for a couple of weeks," Jennifer said.
And one little girl got her Christmas wish.