A 6-year-old pit bull found her way home after almost a year on the street, according to ABC7.

Chicago resident Kelly Shade said 11 months ago, a friend accidentally left a door open and her young dog, Gracie sprinted out. Shade, who got Gracie at just two months old, searched desperately for her lost dog.

ABC7 reported that the courageous pit bull spent winter, spring, summer and fall on the streets of Chicago, which is notorious for its brutal winters.

But on November 30, the two were happily reunited just in time for the holidays.

For months, Gracie lived on the streets about two miles away from Shade's home.

"We posted signs everywhere; we posted on Lost Dog Illinois, contacted all the shelters in the neighborhood and I just cried for months," Shade said.

Multiple people living in the Jackson Park Highlands neighborhood noticed Gracie's coat and tried to get close but the dog would always recoil.

But one woman, Polly Ellison, was not deterred and spent months giving Gracie food hoping she would warm up to her.

"She was in obvious fear of potential harm [and] I just couldn't turn my back on her," Ellison said. "She had an owner and a loving home to go home to and a sibling dog. It's been overwhelming."

Ellison knew the dog must have had an owner and contacted Katie Campbell, another local resident who helps find homes for stray dogs.

Campbell realized that Gracie was microchipped, and within 24 hours the pit bull was in Shade's arms.

"People need to realize the ability of a dog to survive and just never give up on them. That's really the biggest thing you can teach people is never give up," Campbell told ABC7.

She urged more pet owners to get their dogs microchipped and to post on one of the many websites for lost dogs if you find a stray.

For Shade, Gracie's return was a welcome holiday gift.

"She got close and that tail started wagging, and she just lost it and I lost it. I just started crying all over again. In the world we live in and we hear all these bad things, to hear there are kind-hearted people willing to go above and beyond," Shade said, adding that Gracie has not left her side since they were reunited.

"Definitely a holiday miracle. It's definitely remarkable," she added.

Kelly-Shade

Get relevant content delivered to you once a week