WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (WFLA) — In her seven years on this earth, in a way, Rosey the pit bull has already lived several lives.

“It’s been five years and she’s been through a lot in her life. They say dogs, even after years, they still remember,” said Vanessa Ayala, who lives in Winter Haven.

Ayala adopted Rosey as a puppy in North Carolina in 2016.

She said two years later, her ex-husband got into a car accident.

“His truck flipped over into a ditch. She had jumped out of the window and on that day I was actually driving up to go get her,” she said.

In the immediate aftermath, Ayala looked everywhere for Rosey, knocking on doors and sharing her phone number with the people who lived near Rosey was last seen.

For five years, Ayala prayed for Rosey’s health and happiness.

“It got to the point where I didn’t really want to think about it anymore because it made me really sad, you know, because not knowing what happened to her was really what got me,” she said.

Then, in recent weeks, she got a call from North Carolina while eating breakfast.

Somebody had found Rosey in Cedar Point, North Carolina, 40 miles from where she went missing.

Ayala took the 10-hour drive to pick her up.

During their reunion, Rosey’s wagging tail was a sign that she remembered her first owner.

In the years they were separated, Ayala said Rosey was adopted by a family for a few years, was rehomed and somehow ended up living in the woods for the past year.

Six months ago, neighbors spotted Rosey and started feeding her.

They enlisted the help of Donna Bourget, founder of You Will Be Found (Lost Dogs), who is well known in the area for locating dogs.

She has now found 388 dogs, including Rosey.

“I’m very good at trapping usually but Rosey, Rosey was tough. She was six months,” she said.

For six months, Bourget followed Rosey’s movements on cameras and used three traps to try to catch her.

Neither steaks, rotisserie chicken nor wet dog food worked.

Finally, Rosey followed a possum into the trap.

From there, Bourget had to track Ayala down through Rosey’s unregistered microchip.

First, she contacted the chip company, which gave her information on the spay/neuter clinic where Rosey’s chip was implanted.

“Don’t automatically think your dog’s microchip is registered because it’s not. Please, everybody, register your dog’s microchip because it gets your dog home a lot quicker,” Bourget said.

Ayala realizes her reunion could not have happened without the kindness of strangers in another state.

Rosey is undergoing treatment for heartworm, but is otherwise settling in well at home.

“This is my first baby. I cried so many times over the past five years and I prayed so much about her being OK. I wasn’t gonna let this go. I felt like if God brought her back to me, he’s gonna make it a smooth transition,” said Ayala.

Bourget said this reunion is giving hope to others who are missing dogs that not only could their dog be found, but their bond will still be strong.

“Look at Rosey. Look at what Rosey did when she seen her mom after five years,” said Bourget. “Just seeing that owner’s face when that dog is back in their arms makes everything worth it to me.”