DORCHESTER COUNTY, South Carolina (WJW) – It was an emotional moment when a family reunited with their elderly dog who went missing three years ago.

According to Dorchester Paws, an animal shelter in South Carolina, an 18-year-old dog named Binky was found and brought to their shelter last month.

Binky was suffering from several health issues. He was malnourished, covered in fleas and had matted fur, overgrown nails and rotting teeth.

While cleaning and treating him, the shelter says they learned that Binky was not only microchipped, but his owners lived six hours away.

After contacting the family, Dorchester Paws discovered that Binky went missing over three years ago and the family had hoped for years that someone would find him.

Thanks to help from a volunteer at the shelter, Binky was finally reunited with his family.

“Tears were had by all as this impossible journey was completed,” Dorchester Paws said in a Facebook post. “Mr. B can rest peacefully with the family that rescued him from a shelter all those years ago.”

The shelter went on to say that this proves how important it its for owners to microchip their pets.

“Microchips truly are life saving and the best way to get a lost pet back home,” the post said. “If you find a lost pet, please go to the nearest vet office or animal shelter to get them scanned for a microchip.”