Alan Whitton, 49, held his puppy in his arms after three days apart with tears in his eyes. The reunion moment was widely circulated on the internet.

A small Christmas miracle occurred only a few days ago in the United Kingdom… Alan Whitton, 49, was walking his dog in Knighton Forest, Essex, when it was chased by a Basset Hound, according to local news site Essex Live. Mitzi, the little Jack Russell, has escaped, and his owner has lost sight of him.

The father, his wife, and their two children combed the region from top to bottom for the Jack Russel for two days. They distributed a wanted poster across the area and put a wanted notice on social media. But there was no sign of Mitzi.

Three days later, just as Alan was losing hope of ever finding his dog, he received a phone call from a woman walking her dog in the woods where Mitzi had escaped. The walker informed her that her dog was smelling a terrier, something he never does.

Alan “dropped everything” and went to the site to investigate, neither one nor two. “She said her dog scented a fox hole, something he doesn’t do very often.” “I dropped everything and went to investigate,” he tells the local press. Alan approached the burrow in question and “squeaked” one of Mitzi’s favorite toys…before hearing a small whine.

Alan, reaching into a hole in the ground, frees his small doggy, who leaps into his arms. A touching series of hugs and joyful tears follows.

Alan hugged his dog and burst into tears of pleasure after taking her out of her hole. People who had come to assist him videotaped the moment, which made it impossible to hold back tears. Alan shared the heartbreaking reunion scenario on his Facebook page.

Alan later said, “It was like a Christmas miracle.” It was a nightmare from which I couldn’t awaken. The first thing he did was force his way through a Greggs vegetarian sausage bun. It’s amazing.”

The small dog only had a few ticks that were properly removed by a veterinarian. Alan added that Mitzi was very significant to him because she entered his life soon after the death of his last dog. Alan intended to get a GPS collar for Mitzi in order to never lose track of her again.