A dog that had been missing in San Diego, California (southwestern USA) since the summer has turned up more than 3,200 kilometers from home.

Three-year-old Mishka was at the opposite end of the country, in the city of Detroit, Michigan.

According to the Associated Press (AP), the authorities received a call last week about an abandoned dog.

After rescuing the animal, the authorities contacted an animal welfare group - the Grosse Pointe Animal Adoption Society (GPAAS).
The association quickly noticed that the dog had an identity chip with information about her owners, including their telephone numbers.

From San Diego to Michigan

Mishka lived in San Diego with his family.

Mishka left her owner Mehrad Houman's workplace, a mechanic's shop, in July and never returned.

"We think she was stolen and then sold and ended up in Michigan," said Corinne Martin, director of the animal welfare group.

Houman's wife, Elizabeth, stressed that it had been "an incredible journey".

"I never gave up. I put up over a thousand flyers. I had a flyer on the rear windshield. I carried her collar whenever I looked for her. Now I just want to find out how she got to Michigan", she stressed.

A Hollywood story

Owner Mehrad Houman says he was in Minnesota when he received the information that his dog had been found.

After more than 10 hours on the road, the long-awaited reunion took place.

In a Facebook post, the adoption group shared the moment which they described as "a story Hollywood would love to tell".

"This is a story you really want to hear and see. This is a story Hollywood would love to tell. A dog gets lost and wanders across the country. A good Samaritan finds the dog and contacts the local police. From there, there's an impressive chain of events that reunites the family with their lost dog. And GPAAS is right in the middle of it all."

"A conscientious family puts a microchip in their beloved pet. An unfortunate event happens and the dog is separated from them. A local resident makes the right decision (...) Microchip technology reunites the long-lost dog with its family forever," the publication reads.

Veterinarian Nancy Pillsbury examined Mishka. She gave her a rabies vaccine and authorized her to travel home to California.

"She was clean and well fed. Whoever took care of her took good care of her," Pillsbury assured AP.

"How did she get here? That's a story only Mishka knows," he concluded.