Baltimore, Maryland - A Baltimore dog named Paris went missing for five years before being miraculously reunited with his family!

Animal rescuer Bob Swensen of the Lost Animal Resource Group wasn't trying to find Paris when he was snooping around the city train tracks.

He'd been looking for a different pooch when the long-lost canine stumbled into his dog trap.

"He was nervous and probably scared, but handled it well," Swensen told The Dodo of the moment Paris realized he was trapped. "I got him home and got him settled into my home office."

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With the help of Rachel Moxley, an animal microchip expert, Swensen was able to track down Paris' owners and set up a reunion.

It didn't all go as planned, though. Paris didn't immediately recognize his owners, despite their joy at his return.

It took a good few sniffs for something to finally clicked for Paris.

"He started to recognize them and then just wanted to be held," Swensen, adding: "It was the best feeling in the world."

He doesn't think the dog had been living on the streets of Baltimore for those five years, thought it's not entirely clear how he survived those hard times.

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The story is especially touching because Paris' owners didn't want to get a new dog and just kept hoping their fur baby would return for five long years.

"We've reunited thousands of lost pets before, but this was very special," Swensen said.