After more than two years of being without your best friend, you'd probably just give up and assume she's moved on to better fire hydrants.

But one Eagle Rock family held onto hope and were reunited with their long-lost American Eskimo-mix dog named Aka this week.

The L.A. County Department of Animal Care and Control gave credit for the find to …

… a microchip that had been previously implanted in the small, white pooch.

Family members believed the dog had been stolen from their backyard, according to Animal Care officials. When the department informed them that the canine had been found, they were “shocked,” according to a county statement.

The clan was reunited with Aka (Hawaiian name for shadow) Tuesday night.

Animal Care director Marcia Mayeda:

As standard procedure, we scan every animal for a microchip that comes into our care for this very reason. Microchipping your pets is one of the easiest ways to ensure you are reunited with your lost pet.

What we want to know is, where was Aka all that time?

[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]

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