Ted Kubacki was licked by the family’s Golden Retriever, Lulu, on the outside of their home after being reunited in Sitka, Alaska, on Thursday. The old, blind dog, who had been missing for three weeks, was found by a construction team on Tuesday. Behind Kubacki are his wife, Rebecca, and their children Ella, Viola, Star, Lazaria and Olive.

SITKA, Alaska — An Alaskan family had given up hope of finding the old, blind golden retriever that had wandered from their home three weeks ago, but a construction team found Lulu in a mulberry bush after initially mistaking her for a bear.

Lulu is barely alive after being found on Tuesday, but she is receiving health care and is returning home to her family, the Daily Sitka Sentinel reported.

“She means everything,” says owner Ted Kubacki. “I have five daughters and they’re between 4 and 13 years old, so they’ve spent the whole day of their lives with that dog.”

The Kubacki family searched for weeks after Lulu wandered off on June 18.

He said: “She was very helpless and you can imagine that she couldn’t get very far because she couldn’t see.

It doesn’t help that the family becomes the subject of a terrible joke when someone claims that they have found Lulu after a few days of searching.

“We put the kids to bed and get a text that says ‘We found your dog’ or ‘I have your dog’ and we’re like, ‘Oh my god, that’s impossible. believe it,’” he said. “Then that person texted me, ‘Just kidding.’ This happened, yes, it’s part of this terrible story.”

After weeks of searching, the family gave up hope.

But then, a construction crew this week discovered Lulu lying in the bushes along a road not far from Kubacki’s house. She was about 15 feet (4.57 meters) down an embankment, and at first the crew thought it was a bear.

“They took a closer look and realized it was a dog, and they got her out of there,” Kubacki said.

All sadness disappears when he receives a call that Lulu has been found.

“I called my wife from work and she just screamed… She started screaming, then she yelled at the kids. And I just heard them screaming like crazy,” Kubacki said.

Although still alive, Lulu’s condition is very bad. The 80-pound (36.29 kg) dog has lost 23 pounds (10.43 kg) since it got lost; she’s dehydrated, filthy, and her coat is shaggy.

“I just look forward to going back and being like ‘Hey, here’s my dog.’ She would jump up and wag her tail and kiss me in the face, and she couldn’t even lift her head,” he said. “She passed out.”

Lulu’s condition has improved markedly thanks to medical care, food and rest.

Kubacki said: “Slowly but surely, she started eating and was able to hold her head up. “But then yesterday it proped itself up on its front legs, it was like snuggling up to me and kissing me and wagging its tail and that was great.”

A day later, she was able to stand on her own.

Kubacki, a grocery store employee and sole supplier for his family of seven, then worries about the vet bill.

Those concerns were unfounded as Sitka residents donated hundreds of dollars to cover Lulu’s rehabilitation bills.

“We have our family members at home,” says Kubacki.