ATLANTA — A goldendoodle named Juju is finally back home with his owner, five years after being stolen during a car theft outside a Buckhead grocery store.

Jared Mula says he had left his then 8-month-old dog in the car with the air conditioning running while he quickly went inside. When he returned, both his Range Rover and Juju were gone. The thieves were later arrested, but Juju remained missing, until now.

The unexpected reunion came after a woman found Juju wandering near the Georgia Aquarium. The dog, though badly matted, was in good health. The woman took him to be groomed and discovered he had a microchip, which led her to Mula.

“Once I got the call I was like wow, is this it? Total surprise, total shock,” Mula said. “But right when I saw it come across my phone I was like ok, I think they’ve found Juju, and sure enough, they said, hey we’ve got him.”

Mula said the moment Juju returned home was emotional. “And then when he got home, he smelled the house and all the smells came around. He’s been kissing me a thousand times a day.”

Grateful for the woman’s kindness, Mula gave her a reward and noted she looked like she’d make a great dog mom. Although it was a long wait, the reunion was everything Mula had hoped for.