Columbia, SC (WLTX) - A service dog has been reunited with her owners and the family couldn't be more thrilled.
The reunion comes after Angel, a nine year old Sheltie Husky mix, went missing during a 4th of July party hosted at the Higgins residence off of Millhouse Circle.
Angel is a service dog for Tracelle Higgins's daughter Jocelyn, who is living with Cerebral Palsy.
Angel has been a part of the Higgins family since Hurricane Katrina.
Tracelle Higgins says she and her husband were out looking for the dog until 2 a.m. Thursday. She says her home felt empty without Angel.
"The space doesn't feel normal anymore," said Higgins. "I put my key in the door and I expect her to be there bouncing around wagging her tail rolling over for me to rub her stomach and she's not."
Angel wasn't found far from home. Good Samaritan, Danielle Joiner, found Angel in the middle of the street off Hard Scrabble Road and North Brickyard.
Joiner says, "I stopped to shew her out the road and she hopped in my car and I said oh you're afraid of fireworks because they were popping."
Joiner says she was advised by a police officer to take Angel to a shelter, but decided against it and instead shared Angel's picture on social media. "Luckily she was on the news and people hit me up and they were like, you fund the dog" says Joiner.
Tracelle Higgins hugged Joiner when she got out the car and expressed her gratitude when she said to her, "I thank God for touching your heart and keeping her safe."