LINDEN, Ind. -- A family who had given up hope of ever finding a dog that had been missing for five years recently got a special phone call that reunited them with the long-lost pet.

Kasper is cute, cuddly and came from a pedigree of sled runners, which may explain why she left the Albers' home in Montgomery County in 2005.

Teresa Albers had just opened the door when the dog took off and simply disappeared.

"We were concerned that night that she didn't return," Albers said. "It hit kind of hard. She was our first family dog, so with the kids at their age and being so young, I tried to have a positive attitude."

After years without any sign of Kasper, the family moved on and got two new dogs, but in their hearts, Kasper couldn't be replaced.

About two weeks ago, the family got a surprise call from an animal shelter in Illinois that had picked up a microchipped dog that was found wandering on the road. The family didn't believe it could be Kasper.

Kasper is a full-blooded Siberian husky, and the caller said the animal appeared to be a mixed German shepherd.

Albers asked the shelter to check for some tell-tale signs -- a scar and a second micro-chip. Kasper had been chipped twice, because the first chip slipped, Albers said.

The family knew the shelter had their dog when the shelter discovered that second chip.

"I was like, 'Wow, I can't believe it,'" said Zach Albers, Teresa's son.

Kasper was brought back home the day before her 13th birthday. The family isn't sure where she'd been, just that she'd been picked up along Interstate 74 in Vermillion County, Ill. They can only imaging the life she had led.

"She doesn't have the vigor anymore, and she's kind of just on a leash and enjoys the walk, which tells us she's kind of been urbanized and may not be used to the country anymore," said Mark Albers, Teresa's husband.

The Albers said they're enjoying getting to know Kasper again.