Man's emotional reunion with dog goes viral

Hard financial times lead to tough decisions, and for one man, this meant giving up his dog.

About a year ago when the man lost his job, his home, and the ability to care for the pet, he took the canine to the Great Plains SPCA of Independence, Missouri, a no kill shelter.

Recently, when his situation began to take a turn for the better, he looked at the shelter's website and learned that his much loved companion Reece was still there.

The 3-year-old boxer/greyhound mix had been adopted by two different families over the previous months, but neither situation worked out.

Shortly after discovering that Reece was still looking for a home, the man went to the shelter to get him back.

The two had a very emotional reunion, with Reece immediately recognizing his human friend and smothering him with affection.

Video of the joyous event was posted to the shelter's Facebook page.

It wasn't long before the clip and the story behind it were well on their way to going viral.

The shelter said in their Facebook post, "Keeping families together – just one of the reasons #whywerescue."