When I was about 8 or 9 years old, I welcomed my first dog into my life—a 2-year-old black and white Maltese x Shih Tzu mix from a shelter. She quickly became my closest companion.

After several months or maybe a year, my younger siblings, who were around 3 and 5 years old at the time, had the misguided idea of “playing” with her by taking away her food bowl while she was eating, just to get her attention. It was a terrible idea, but none of us, including our parents, had prior experience caring for a dog, so we were unaware that this could trigger aggression. Eventually, after a few months of such incidents, she snapped and bit both of my siblings.

To prevent further incidents and ensure everyone’s safety, my mom made the difficult decision to rehome her. I was devastated. I knew she had never shown aggression before and was always loving, but being so young, I didn’t know how to present a strong argument. I watched as she was taken away from me, and I remained upset for months afterward.

Over the next few years, we visited her new home once a year, but eventually, those visits stopped.

When I turned 21, after nearly a decade of not visiting, we decided to go see her. I didn’t expect her to still be alive, let alone remember me. After all, she would be around 15 years old by then.

When I walked through the door, I was astonished to be greeted by her in the exact same way she used to greet me every day when I returned from school. The only differences were her considerable aging and frail appearance, and her tail wagging even more vigorously. She showed a clear preference for me, sticking by my side throughout the entire visit. Her current owners were amazed that she had enough energy to jump up on the couch and sit with me. Throughout our time together, she rested her head on my lap, and every time she looked up at me, her eyes sparkled with excitement. It was a bittersweet reunion, as I knew it would be the last time I saw her alive.

So, do dogs remember their owners? Absolutely. Even after more than a decade of separation, they can hold memories of their beloved humans. Dogs are incredible creatures, and their devotion to humans is why they are known as our best friends—because we mean the world to them.

Edit: Thank you all for the upvotes! This is my first answer on Quora, and it’s encouraging to know that people enjoy my story. I wanted to add a few more details. She passed away in October 2016. In her final days, her family contacted my mom to inform her that she was very weak and likely wouldn’t survive much longer. Unfortunately, I wasn’t in town at the time, but the rest of my family went to see her over the next few days. After spending some time with them, she passed away. Only my family members were present during her final moments. Both families agreed that it seemed like she was waiting for my family to visit before departing. I suddenly remembered this aspect of the story, and I thought it was quite remarkable that she somehow knew and waited (or perhaps it’s just a remarkable coincidence). I felt it was worth adding to my original answer.