Eight months ago, 11-year-old Rocco Risso’s best friend in the world — his rescue dog, Jack — went missing without a trace. He was devastated, but despite not knowing what became of the pup, Rocco never once gave up hope.

“I can’t explain how much Rocco cried and missed him for all those months,” the boy’s mother, Romi, told The Dodo. “But he always believed that Jack would reappear.”

Rocco and his family had searched everywhere for Jack near their home in Argentina, but to no avail.

Sadly, the passing of time did little to ease the pain in Rocco’s heart though; his certainty that his dog would return did not allow him to move on or cope, so his sadness never ebbed in all those months.

In fact, just a week ago, Rocco had dreamt that Jack came home. Turns out, he hadn’t been dreaming in vain.

On Monday, a family friend spotted a stray dog wandering near a gas station, and recognized him immediately — it was Jack! When Rocco’s mom got the call, she was in disbelief, but made plans to reunite her son with his beloved dog.

“I told Rocco that I had a gift for him,” Romi said. “When I called him to the front yard and he saw his friend Jack, I felt he was reborn. He kept saying, ‘I knew it.’”

Since that moment, things have never been better. Rocco and Jack were again complete.

“Rocco is so happy, and he and Jack are closer than ever,” said Romi. “Rocco always says that the most important things in life are pets and family. For him, they are one and the same.”